Mission of Hope provides ministry in Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN — Having a servant’s heart is what matters most as a member of Mission of Hope.

That’s how Kathy McConnaughy describes the quality common to volunteers on the team, a ministry of St. Joseph Church of Strongsville in Cuyahoga County. The ministry’s goal is “to seek out areas to work where a need exists, either from a natural disaster or poverty, and to commit and respond to this need as a community of faithful believers in Jesus Christ.”

Mission of Hope members are spending this week staying at South Side Academy, the former St. Patrick School, on Oak Hill Avenue. They are working at St. Patrick Church, the school and in the neighborhood.

The Rev. Ed Noga, pastor of St. Patrick Church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., explained that a parish member who sometimes works in Cleveland was the connection that brought the Mission of Hope to the Valley. “Needs in neighborhoods came up in conversation,” he said.

He said he was impressed when the team arrived with a truck with all sorts of equipment and supplies. “This is a self-contained unit,” he said. “These are people with experience who know what they’re doing. They come with a plan and execute it."

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com