Several months ago I began the process of finding another church to attend. There are some good Christian folks at Centertown Baptist, where we have attended since moving here in 2012, but I felt that I needed to make a change. I explored possibilities by attending Sunday morning services at 5 different churches in the area. I enjoyed the services at the 2 Cowboy Churches I attended but they are really geared around horse people. The folks at one of the other churches I attended were very friendly but they were a little to Pentecostal for me. Based on the message I heard at another of the churches it seemed to me to be a "health & wealth" church (God will make you wealthy & healthy), which I don't think is scriptural.
FreshwaterJC was the 5th church I tried. It was recommended to me by the Pastor of Centertown Baptist. I think it is the one I have been looking for. I have been attended services there since May 28th, with the exception of the Sunday's on our Alaska trip or when I have been in Tennessee. The church was started 5 years ago and meets in part of a converted warehouse. Current attendance is probably around 250 people at 2 Sunday morning services, not enough seating area for everyone to attend the same service.
The church has an annual "Labor for Your Neighbor" project. Rather than meet for the regulare Sunday morning church service the Sunday is spent proving a service for the community. This year was the 4th year for the project. This years "Neighbor" was the Koinonia House in Jefferson City. It will be a home for Christian men recently released from prison. A place where they can live in a somewhat structured environment until they are ready to fully integrate in to society. The church provided $10,000 for material, in addition to some material donated by a local business.
Friday afternoon, the 11th, I met Brooks Crawford, a Freshwater member, and helped install some sheathing to enclose an area under an exterior stairway. Some Freshwater volunteers had already poured a 20x20 concrete pad for a recreational area before Friday.
Yesterday was the big day. Daycare was provided at "the warehouse" (the church). The "official" start time was 9:30. I arrived a little before 8:30 and there were probably a dozen people already busy. I took photos of some of the activity.
Some of the landscaping activity. The concrete pad I mentioned earlier is in the background. Folks were stripping the forms from the pad, regrading the area around the pad and planting grass seed. The sod had been stripped from the area in this photo and weed mat and rock was being added to provide more parking. I didn't get any photos of all the tree trimming that occurred.
Just before we stopped for lunch we had a treat. A young man who accepted Jesus during a July youth trip had decided that he wanted to be baptized, so we got to enjoy a baptism on the street in front of the Koinonia House.
When I left around 3 PM there were still maybe a dozen folks working to finish the landscaping.
It was a great day!
God is good, may He bless you and yours.
PS. Below is an article that was published last year in the Jefferson City News Tribune:
Next summer, the Jefferson City community will
witness the opening of the Koinonia House, a Christ-centered nonprofit
that assists men who have been incarcerated in assimilating back into
the community.
Heather Gieck, executive director of the Healing House and New Beginnings, has worked since 2015 to improve quality of life for women in Jefferson City who have been incarcerated. As a result of her advocacy and the help of local organizations, she soon will have a residential program to do the same for men.
"We have some men coming back into our community who desire to live a changed life but don't know how to grasp it," Gieck said.
She described the facility as a life-changing ministry that will provide affordable housing, leadership, support and structure. In turn, Gieck's program will help men avoid the initial housing, employment and transportation barriers that come with being released from jail.
Similar to the success of the Healing House, Gieck looks forward to helping improve quality of life for the men in the program.
The men will be expected to work during the day and attend classes in the evening to learn about steps to recovery, tapping into spirituality and honing pertinent life skills.
"We want men who have a desire to transform their lives," Gieck said.
Prior to the grand opening, Gieck hopes to raise $10,000 toward construction and operational expenses. Churches with the Christian Ministerial Fellowship have been big supporters of the mission behind the Koinonia House.
The Koinonia House was set to receive a donation-based benefit fund at the Community Thanksgiving Service on Saturday, Pastor Gaines Jackson, a member of the Christian Ministerial Fellowship, told the News Tribune.
"There have been conversations about a men's recovery program since 2004," Jackson said. "We are very excited to see this new initiative finally come to pass."
"This program will help the men to not only make a change in their heart, but help them make lifelong changes that will benefit their children and the community," Gieck said.
Heather Gieck, executive director of the Healing House and New Beginnings, has worked since 2015 to improve quality of life for women in Jefferson City who have been incarcerated. As a result of her advocacy and the help of local organizations, she soon will have a residential program to do the same for men.
"We have some men coming back into our community who desire to live a changed life but don't know how to grasp it," Gieck said.
She described the facility as a life-changing ministry that will provide affordable housing, leadership, support and structure. In turn, Gieck's program will help men avoid the initial housing, employment and transportation barriers that come with being released from jail.
Similar to the success of the Healing House, Gieck looks forward to helping improve quality of life for the men in the program.
The men will be expected to work during the day and attend classes in the evening to learn about steps to recovery, tapping into spirituality and honing pertinent life skills.
"We want men who have a desire to transform their lives," Gieck said.
Prior to the grand opening, Gieck hopes to raise $10,000 toward construction and operational expenses. Churches with the Christian Ministerial Fellowship have been big supporters of the mission behind the Koinonia House.
The Koinonia House was set to receive a donation-based benefit fund at the Community Thanksgiving Service on Saturday, Pastor Gaines Jackson, a member of the Christian Ministerial Fellowship, told the News Tribune.
"There have been conversations about a men's recovery program since 2004," Jackson said. "We are very excited to see this new initiative finally come to pass."
"This program will help the men to not only make a change in their heart, but help them make lifelong changes that will benefit their children and the community," Gieck said.
