Spring 2007
Facing Bench

Alliance Friends Reach Out to Transform Neighborhood

What can prayer and caring folks do in a poverty-stricken neighborhood? Create community!

Several months ago, the Outreach Ministry Team at Alliance Friends Church under Elder, Roger Meir and Coordinator, Dave Jellison felt a call from the Lord (Isaiah 61:1) to share Christ and themselves to help the inner-city population with some of their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Prayer – a whole lot of prayer - and prayer-walks took place and a vision began to form for the poorest district in all of Stark County, Ohio (79% of kids at Alliance High School are on reduced or free lunch). Despite the stronghold of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, broken families, and more, outreach has begun.

Bethany House, a former Presbyterian Church and now a location for various child and adolescent services, became available to do outreach ministries. The first outreach project was a work day at the Bethany House with a prayer-walk. Twenty eight workers from Alliance First Friends were on hand to lead the way as they painted the gym, fixed the basketball hoops, and cleaned the exterior. Next, they walked through the neighborhood praying, sharing Christ, passing out tracts, picking up trash, and handing out flyers inviting the residents to a breakfast to be held the following Saturday. Over one hundred guests came to the breakfast. Thirty-seven workers from Alliance Friends helped with breakfast, played games and activities with the children, and handed out packages of light bulbs.

Another outreach took place over Memorial Day and was again preceded by a prayer-walk. This outreach picnic served over two hundred guests. Thirty-five workers from Alliance Friends helped in this enormous outpouring of Christ’s love. Packages of light bulbs were again passed out along with band aids labeled, “Let Jesus heal your hurts” on them. Games and activities were planned for the children. It was truly a neighborhood event as a noted drug dealer, proud of his barbecuing ability, came and helped for two hours. He even stayed through an hour of pouring-down rain.

A 3 day Vacation Bible School is planned for this summer at the Bethany House. The purpose of these outreaches is to share Christ (Mark 16: 15) in the inner-city, to touch their lives with ours, and to follow James 2:15-17. As the Lord leads, we will follow! We pray the vision is caught by more believers in Alliance Friends and we see a stronger discipleship within our church as well as those in the inner-city. Prayerfully and God willing, the soil will be cultivated and a church will be planted.