Jason Hoffer, 17, stands in the gaga pit he built for his Eagle Scout project at Fishbone Ministries in Butler. Submitted photo

Jason Hoffer, 17, recalls a teacher at Penn Christian Academy mentioning Fishbone Ministries in Butler, as well as a weeklong mission trip to the ministry’s complex on Shore Street, when he was in middle school.

When it came time to pursue his Eagle Scout rank as a member of Boy Scout Troop 30 in Oakland Township, the Butler High School junior immediately thought of Fishbone.

“Kids can play a game while they learn lessons about God,” Jason said.

He said he and his family members built the wooden walls for the eight-sided pit in April, and that group, plus other Troop 30 scouts, erected the 22-by-22-foot structure in May.

Gaga ball, he explained, is similar to dodge ball, but is played within the close confines of the pit and has different rules.

Children who attend Fishbone Ministries’ programs were ecstatic when the pit was finished, and immediately clambered over the walls to play a game.

“I got in and joined them,” said Jason, who is the son of Mike and Connie Hoffer of Oakland Township.

Anna Wright, ministry coordinator at Fishbone Ministries, took a break from varnishing a new fence in the complex’s playground to talk about the gaga pit.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “The kids just love it.”

She said the gaga pit sees the most use among the playground equipment on site.

Wright said Fishbone Ministries, which owns three adjacent houses on Shore Street in the city’s Island neighborhood, offers a children’s ministry on Thursdays for children in kindergarten through fourth grade, and a youth group for students in fifth through 12th grade.

The gaga pit is rarely idle during those times, she said.

She said the ministry’s leadership appreciates Jason’s efforts in building the gaga pit for his Eagle Scout project.

“It’s super beautiful to see this level of involvement in our ministry,” Wright said.

Fishbone Ministries is a Christian outreach organization whose mission is to strengthen the community and serve as ambassadors for Christ, according to the group’s website.