Rev. Thomas Gilmore
Dear Pastoral Colleagues,
In October the Cleveland Baptist Association Ministers Council met to discuss the crisis of poverty in our city. This was prompted by yet another designation of Cleveland as the poorest city in the United States.
In our deliberations a twofold course of action was adopted. First a statement on the poverty crisis was drafted and last week sent to Mayor Jackson, which expresses our dismay at the lack of attention this crisis has garnered, and asking the Mayor and County Officials to be clear about their plan for responding.
As we worked on the poverty crisis statement it became clear that we’d be making a much stronger case with city and county officials if we could also point to something tangible that we had begun together as a response to the crisis. The idea of establishing a mentoring program emerged quickly, in part because Cleveland Baptist’s had a successful experience some years ago with such a program and also because it has strong appeal as a response with proven success helping young adults to break out of poverty.
The enclosed DVD describes the mentoring program that is being endorsed by the CBA Board of Directors and The CBA Minister’s Council. The primary responsibility of CBA member churches will be to utilize their membership and extended networks of relationships to recruit mentors and young adults who would benefit from the program.
It is our hope that the DVD could be used as a recruiting tool in churches, along with the enclosed flyers which are designed to target mentors and mentees. We have designated Sunday, January 21st as a Sunday in which we would urge every CBA church to use worship time to promote this initiative. This gives ample time for recruitment before the first training event for mentors which is planned for February 17th from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM and will be held at First Baptist of Greater Cleveland.
If you have questions or would like additional copies of the brochure please contact Minister Michael Walton at (216) 691-1698 or neomikewalton@hotmail.com. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young adults in our city. Please prayerfully consider how you and your congregation can become involved.
Because He Lives,
Rev. Thomas W. Gilmore President, CBA Ministers Council |
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