Playgrounds are designed to be safe spaces for kids to get outside, be active and, well, play. This one certainly fits that bill.

But the Tree House Playground at Lititz Church of the Brethren (LCOB) has unexpectedly morphed into something much more. In a very concrete way, it has cemented an already tight-knit Lititz community and made it even more cohesive.

"I think it's such a community-type thing," said Mike Enck, an LCOB parishioner and a member of the Lititz Tree House board. "The community got behind it, and the community stands behind it. We have a ton of people who help out there. It's nice to see. We want people to keep coming back all the time."

Located at LCOB, 300 W. Orange St., Lititz, the 5-year-old Tree House Playground is two sprawling acres of fun, enjoyment and energy expenditure. The all-plastic compost structure is built on a rubber-based foundation and features four sliding boards, swings, a rock wall, a rope climb, monkey bars, zip lines, ramps and walkways.

The Tree House playground is anchored by 455 18-inch posts.

Free and open to the public, the Tree House Playground includes separate playing areas for 2- to 4-year-olds and 5- to 7-year-olds. The place is handicapped-accessible.

"It's one of the biggest playgrounds I know of," Enck said. "It's very colorful. This doesn't have wood chips. With the rubber base, if kids fall, they're not going to get hurt. They're going to bounce right back up."

To say that the Tree House Playground has been well received by the Lititz community and beyond would be an understatement. On any given day, when the weather is right, more than 300 children can be observed playing there.

"It starts at 8 in the morning and goes until dusk," said Enck. "It's getting so well known that we have busloads of kids from all over Lancaster County coming here to play. When you go out there as an adult and see the kids playing, it almost makes you want to go out there with them. It's that unique. It's that cool. We've had to move some things around for parents to play."

"It brings everybody from Lititz there, and you forget about other things," continued Enck. "When you're there, you have a different attitude. Once you visit the playground and see the kids playing, it kind of touches you."

Construction of the Tree House Playground began in the spring of 2019, and the community project caused local business and private donors to step up and helpful volunteers to turn out.

A combination of more than 150 LCOB parishioners and community members worked on the construction of the project, which cost more than several hundred thousand dollars to complete. Much of the money for the Tree House Playground was raised through fundraisers and direct donations from contributors.

"It was a huge process," said Enck. "There were so many people who helped. The community got behind the build. A lot of people came forward and helped out."

"(The generosity of the Lititz community) is overwhelming," he added. "There are so many good people in this community. If you have something good, people will get behind you."

The Tree House Playground is also a true reflection of what LCOB stands for.

"Our mission is to serve, to serve the community," said Enck. "That's what our church is about - just doing what needs to be done."

For additional information about the Tree House Playground, go to http://www.treehouselititz.org/about.