116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
The good Gospel
The congregation at Gospel Tabernacle Church in Cedar Rapids takes to heart Jesus' parable about the value of teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish.
They could - and do - just offer those in need a warm meal and clothing.
But they also do more.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, Gospel Tabernacle Church holds a Community Day to connect those in need with services and organizations in the community that can offer them help and long-term solutions.
'We ... provide dinner for the homeless for that day, and also have the clothes closet open for that day,” said Jackie Horton, director of operations at Gospel Tabernacle Church, 2531 42nd St. NE, and one of the founders of Community Day. 'But that's not all we do. We're bringing in a diversified group of like-minded and mission-driven community members, hoping to match programs and services with the people who need them.”
The church opens its doors at 2 p.m. to the homeless and anyone in need of a helping hand. Representatives of different service agencies within Cedar Rapids, such as Mission of Hope, give presentations for the first 45 minutes.
At the same time, congregation members are in the kitchen preparing meals.
When the presentations are completed, the kitchen and the church's clothes closet open for the group to share a meal and take what clothing they need.
'It's about networking and reaching out to the community at large,” she said. 'That's why we're there, to reach out rather than confine our services to the people who regularly come into this building.”
The first Community Day was held in May. Just less than 50 people were served. Horton hopes for a larger turnout at this month's event on June 22.
Gospel has a history of community outreach.
'If you have the homeless and those in dire need just constantly on their own, never touching elbows with others in a better place, it doesn't help them, it doesn't give them a hand up. Getting together is really empowering, they connect with people from all over. All it takes is one person to truly make a difference,” she says.
Asiah Vance of Cedar Rapids beams at her son, Camron Wells, 5, as barber James Weatherford, owner of The Chop Shop, finishes cutting hair at Gospel Tabernacle Church in Cedar Rapids in 2009. The church's Friday night Safe Haven program offered free back-to-school haircuts and supplies. Gospel holds a Community Day offering resources and services to those in need on the fourth Sunday of each month. (Cliff Jette photos/The Gazette)
LEFT: Gospel Tabernacle Church members and neighborhood kids pray before starting a basketball game in the church in Cedar Rapids in 2007. The congregation at Gospel has a history of community outreach. Its latest initiative is a Community Day on the fourth Sunday of the month. (Cliff Jette photos/The Gazette)
ABOVE: Tilla Posley, 22, (from left), Trevon Johnson, 14, Jay Williams and Bradley Tate, 14, all of Cedar Rapids, play basketball at the Gospel Tabernacle Church in Cedar Rapids in 2007. Church members Damu Diaz-Doolin and his sister Montine Leach started bringing in kids from the neighborhood to play ball on Friday nights, keeping them of the streets. (Cliff Jette photos/The Gazette)
Daily Newsletters