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| Church running outreach for community's youth |
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7/29/2016
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
First Church of the Nazarene launched a community outreach this summer to minister to youths in less affluent neighborhoods.
Each Saturday church volunteers go out to these neighborhoods to play games, sing songs and have fun with the children that live there. The Montgomery County School System provides lunch as part of its summer meal program.
Nazarene pastor John Kohr said it’s about showing children that God and others in the community love and care about them.
“We are hoping first and foremost that they understand they have value in this world and that they’re loved—they are loved by God and loved by us,” Kohr said.
He notes that some of the children come from broken homes or environments plagued by drugs.
The church program, called Jericho Express, is modeled after similar, successful programs in Clevelend and Columbus, Ohio, where Kohr formerly lived.
The Nazarene Church held a crafter’s bazaar earlier this year to raise funds for the program. It has plans to host a concert in August with the Kentucky Mountain Trio to raise even more money.
Funds raised from the concert will go toward the purchase of an enclosed trailer so the church can take supplies to and from each of the sites.
For now, volunteers are using their private vehicles to make rounds, but could use a trailer to take music equipment and other items along, Kohr said.
The church has been promoting the program through Facebook and on the Montgomery County Trading Post, but mostly it has been through word of mouth.
A few days before launch of the program the church went out distributing fliers letting people know about the program. The first event was held June 11 and will continue through August.
Next year the church would like to extend the length of the program from April or May in the spring to just before October Court Days, Kohr said.
“This is the genesis of a long-term ministry effort that’s going to happen all throughout Mt. Sterling, Montgomery County and beyond,” he said. “We’re excited about that.”
So far, it has been attracting about 20 to 25 children total among its three stops.
The three stops include the neighborhood surrounding Alexa Drive, another at Madison Springs and the third in the area of Whitledge Heights. Volunteers stay at each stop for about an hour.
The church would like to make three or four more stops each Saturday, but needs volunteers from the public to make that happen. Kohr is encouraging other churches to join the effort. Ideally, Kohr said, he would like to see it become a community ministry.
The church is presently using a team of about 10 to 15 volunteers.
Kohr said the children are beginning to look forward to seeing the volunteers and are inviting their friends to take part.
Kohr notes that volunteers ask for no commitment from the children or parents and do not attempt to push them to attend their particular church, though they do share a brief Bible story during their visits.
Mostly the program is about providing a message of hope and that the children are loved no matter what their circumstances, Kohr said.
“We’re there to share the love of God and what it has done for us,” he said. “That’s it.”
If you are interested in being a volunteer or learning more about the program, you can reach the church at 498-1114.
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