Re-entry

Broken Chains: Thousands Come to Faith through Eyeglass Ministry at Summit County Jail – 2011-05-27

By: Katie Sobiech

The lyrics of Amazing Grace, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see”, echo throughout the halls of the Summit County jail these days, literally.

Broken Chains Ministry (BCM) has opened the doors of opportunity wide to minister to offenders by creating an eyeglass ministry. Through this, they open people’s eyes physically and spiritually.

This started in 2004 when BCM first formed, after much prayer and realizing how poor the eyesight of many inmates was. “We saw that we were missing a lot of opportunities to minister to people. People wouldn’t come to chapel or bible study, even though those doors were wide open for them. We were missing a multitude of people who we could get the gospel message to,” Reverend Dennis Shawhan, Executive Director of BCM , said.

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August 6, 2013
Uncategorized

S.P.A.N. Ministries Free Summer Football and Cheerleading Camp – 2010-06-18

By: Katie Sobiech

For the past five years S.P.A.N. Ministries, at Shepard’s Pasture for All Nations church in Tallmadge, has been hosting their free summer football and cheerleading camp. This year it will be held June 23rd-26th at Dix Stadium at Kent University.

“It’s something our church does with a few other churches and organizations to bridge the community, because a lot of times churches will kind of function as little islands where they’re not really integrated into the community,” Kurran Bishop, Director of Operations and Elder at Shepherd’s Pasture for all Nations, said.

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July 31, 2013
Neighborhoods

Dignity vs. Dependency: How One Akron Ministry is Changing 
Their Community Part Two – 2010-04-19

By: Katie Sobiech

It’s been two years since catching up with Urban Vision, an inner city ministry located in the North Hill area. Since then, much has changed for the better, including a growing number of programs, incentives and kids and families in attendance.

“We’ve changed our after school program. We do it in a completely new way,” Rodney Matthews said.

The after school program is now called “Set on Success” (S.O.S.), instilling the importance of education into the children. Participants meet Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m.

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July 31, 2013