The doors are always open for the community at West Point Missionary Baptist Church.
West Point believes it’s their duty to serve the community and alleviate the common misconceptions of Black churches that church is more of an invitation-only club, instead of a church with open doors for all.
Going with the theme formulated by Pastor L. Bernard Jakes, “We need to become a church without walls. Showing our community that we appreciate them, and love them,” Jakes said.
When you begin to think about the community service provided by Black churches in today’s culture, you don’t hear about too many gatherings such as Family and Friends day.
In today’s culture, churches are showing more neglect to the community.
Understanding that some of the communities are plagued with drugs and violence, the community needs to feel wanted, not pushed away. The residents need to feel as though they have a haven in the church, comfort in the church and faith in the church when they need it most.
I encourage them to put their faith back in the church, not from a religious standpoint, but as the backbone of the community.
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender
