YOUNGSTOWN Churches plan spiritual crusade
The crusade's speaker will be New Jersey's secretary of state.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- There are many reasons the city needs a spiritual revival.
Senseless murders, the economic woes, population flight and despair.
"All of the above," said the Rev. Gary Frost, the pastor of Rising Star Baptist Church.
The Rev. Mr. Frost is chairman of the new "Hope 2001 Crusade" aimed at revitalizing the city spiritually. The effort is notable for several reasons.
First, it is composed of four groups in a new cooperative effort, said the pastor. They are:
U'The Baptist Pastors Council of Youngstown.
U'The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.
U'The Greater Youngstown Coalition of Christians.
U'The Churches of God in Christ.
While the groups, such as the GYCC, have been active in trying to revitalize the city in a number of ways, Mr. Frost said it was notable that the Churches of God in Christ felt it was time to take on a prominent role.
Working with the group is the Jericho Project, which has been running an inner-city ministry with rallies in the city in recent years.
The groups, the pastor noted, represent both blacks and whites in city and suburban churches.
Prayer rally: The first event planned by the group will be a community prayer rally at 7 p.m. April 30 at New Bethel Baptist Church.
"We're going to pray for an extraordinary manifestation of God in the community and a revival in believers in the city of Youngstown," said Mr. Frost.
October crusade: The new effort is also different because of a crusade at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 to 24 at Stambaugh Auditorium. The speaker will be DeForest B. "Buster" Soaries Jr., New Jersey's secretary of state.
Soaries, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J., since 1990 and the secretary of state since 1999, has worked extensively in both the public and spiritual sectors.
Since Soaries became pastor, the church has added more than 3,700 new members and now exceeds 5,300 members, according to his office. The church is constructing a $10 million complex.
Soaries is also involved in a variety of community improvement programs.
Accomplishments: As secretary of state, he helped create V-Free, a statewide effort designed to stem youth violence and vandalism in schools and communities. As pastor, he helped found the First Baptist Community Development Corporation, the Renaissance Community Development Credit Union, and Renaissance Employment & amp; Training Academy, according to his office.
Before taking office, Soaries worked for the Urban League in Newark, N.J., and Operation PUSH in Chicago.
There is also a feeling of expectancy among the participants, said Mr. Frost.
"Everyone senses God wants to do something in this area," said Mr. Frost. "God wants to do something in our city."