To the rescue! Clarendon groups partner to get better results

EFFORTVILLE, Clarendon:

The Effortville Police Youth Club and the Romans 12 Bible Studies and Outreach Ministries have established a partnership in an effort to extend their reach in several communities to positively influence at-risk youth in Clarendon.

The Effortville community has been labelled a troubled area where intense violent flare-ups occur from time to time, and as a result, both groups, mainly comprised of young people, decided to chart the course.

Founder and director of the Romans 12 Bible Studies and prayer ministry, Leighton Powell, said the group he leads seeks to get involved in community activities by doing practical outreach activities.

"Members of the Effortville Police Youth Club decided to visit churches within the community and reached out to the R12 ministry, which has its origin in the Full Truth Church ministry, so we decided to come together and started by visiting the Effortville Full Truth Church of God in Clarendon," said Powell.

Members of the Effortville PYC and the R12 ministry attended the Full Truth Church of God in Effortville on Sunday where they worshipped as they sought guidance to carry out their mandate.

"The environment was lively and we were happy to see young people who wouldn't normally visit church, come out and worship with us. They were really involved in the service and we look forward to seeing them even more as we try to build safer communities through our outreach activities," Powell told Rural Xpress after the service.

"The church service couldn't have been at a more opportune time, with the recent flare-up of gang violence in the community. We want the young people both in and out of the church to get involved in meaningful community building activities that will keep them away from getting caught up in gangs and other social ills that they see around them every day," said the young evangelist, who delivered a soul-stirring sermon from 2 Timothy 3.

President of the Effortville Police Youth Club, Kemar Dawkins, said partnering with R12 was a great move, as the group also does charity work in the community and in other areas whenever they can. The immediate focus of both groups is to complete the project they started with Doris Josephs, an 80-year-old woman who lives in a section of Effortville known as Buzzrock. She lives in less-than-desirable conditions and is badly in need of a decent living space.

"We do our normal church visits on a monthly basis, whenever we can, within the Effortville community. We're trying our best to ensure our presence is felt and our actions impact lives, so we are starting by visiting the churches to get them involved, because we need advice and guidance from the older people as we have to put God first in everything," said Dawkins.

Persons willing to partner with the group or volunteer in outreach activities can contact Leighton Powell at 864-9711 or leightonpowell24

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