Many individuals, groups and organizations deliver rhetoric about empowering their neighborhoods.
However, Zion Hope Baptist Church plans to take real action next week to meet the needs of people in its area.
On July 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the church, located at 5950 E. 46th St., will host its annual Community Day and Back to School Rally.
Guests can expect a variety of activities and services, ranging from games and prizes, to health screenings and free back-to-school giveaways.
Organizers note that the event, which is in its fourth year, is designed mainly to help assist families as they prepare children to return to school in the fall. Specifically, the church gives away school supplies and uniforms (while supplies last), free haircuts for boys, coupon vouchers for girls and other items.
“What we want to do is connect the community with resources,” said Pastor Tony McGee, Zion Hope’s senior pastor. “One of the reasons so many negative things take place in the community is because many people don’t have access to information that will help in decisions such as where can they take their kids for after-school programming, or where can they go to get something to eat.”
McGee added that the church is connecting the community with resources through Christ.
In presenting this year’s event, Zion Hope is partnering with Amazing Grace Christian Church, led by Dr. Preston Adams.
Shirley Mitchell, event coordinator, estimates that more than 50 entities will offer information, and between 1,000 to 1,500 are expected to arrive for the Community Day and Back to School Rally.
“We have many different areas of information that will benefit the community,” said Mitchell. “We want the event to be educational and informational, but we also want to it to be enjoyable and fun.”
Featured entities include, among others, Franklin College, the Center for Leadership Development, IUPUI’s Adult Learning Centers, IUPUI Office for Diversity Access and Achievement, the Edna Martin Christian Center, Marion County Health Department, the Minority Health Coalition of Marion County and the United Negro College Fund.
Zion Hope, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last week, is known by many residents for its successful outreach programs and for the work of one of its previous pastors, the late Rev. James Wells, who in 1980 co-founded Crossroads Bible College.
McGee, who became pastor in 2009, has made the enhancement of community service initiatives a key goal of the church.
“Zion Hope has to be a church of action for those in need,” McGee told the Recorder, noting that its neighborhood has struggled in recent years with high crime, run down homes and urban blight. “We have the opportunity to have a huge impact on this community.”
For more information, call (317) 547-4387 or visit zionhopechurch.org.
