Inner-city ministry is my calling and passion w/a particular interest in children's ministry...don't really do that for a living, per se, doesn't pay much, so I do odd jobs, etc to pay the bills. When I say "children's ministry," many people get the idea of puppets and polished Bible stories with flannelgraph figures. But in my neighborhood children's ministry is vastly different.We operate an afterschool homework club where many neighborhood kids come and hang out. Many great conversations are flowing, and we are meeting new kids every day as kids tell there friends about the CORE Church and Pedestrian Outreach CenterWe planted this inner-city mission church in 2006...not an easy mission field by any means. Lots of needs; scores of single mothers on fixed incomes, many kids w/o fathers who seem to cling to all the attention we can give them...needless to say everywhere we (me and my family) go we often have a ton of kids who want to go with us. Tonight it was a concert at my son's school and we had a half dozen extra kids w/us. Seeing how hard some of these kids have it doesn't make lt any easier. There's a part of me that wants to rescue every one of them from the ugliness they often experience...but I'm only one person. How much can I do? I pray for them, offer them a hand of friendship, and our storefront mission church has become a safe haven for many of them to come to when they are going through the tough battles of life.
Often, these kids share things with me that leave me speechless, and I thank God every day that He has put me in such a place of trust...that these kids have someone to turn to when the horrors and terrors of life turn their way.
I remember these streets, for they are the very streets I once ran and played in. But it was a different time, and not nearly as dangerous in this neighborhood...or so they say. I remember a place not much different at all, and there were a few adults who took an interest in my well being, who went out of their way to make my world a safer place to grow up in. So perhaps it is my turn to pay it forward, and to show these kids a better way...to continue offering a hand of friendship...a shoulder to lean on...someone to listen to them and applaud in the midst of their seemingly small victories.
What is my reward? What is my pay? a happy child who grows up to reach their potential...and here's how you can help.I'm asking my Facebook and Twitter friends to consider investing just $5.00 or $10.00 in this ministry, as we reach out to these great kids and their families.
We are seeing fruit, as many of the parents/guardians of these kids are visiting our mission church/outreach center, and some great conversations are flowing as we build relationships with these children and families.
Your best gifts can be made out and sent to:
CORE Church of Troy
36 109th St.Troy, NY 12182
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or for further info. If you'd like to have me come to your church and share our mission and ministry w/you and your congregation, just let me know
518-526-6079 (cell)
518-235-0370 (home)
518-274-8080 (office)
e-mail: corechurch@gmail.com
