NOW Youngstown rallies fostering camaraderie, cooperation

YOUNGSTOWN

Pastor Al Yanno believes the Increase the Peace Rallies “are as much as a process as a program.”

The minister with NOW Youngstown said by that he means the summer rallies, which will begin Tuesday, have fostered cooperation and camaraderie among churches.

“People and churches are being brought together,” he said. “The cooperation is more than a single effort, it’s a movement.”

Pastor Yanno of Metro Assembly of God, along with Pastors Rafael Cruz of Unity Baptist Church in Boardman and Pastor Rolando Rojas of Spanish Evangelical Church collaborated four years ago to form NOW Youngstown. Pastor Rojas has said that the ministers understand street mentality because they were once a part of it. “God made a difference in our lives,” he said.

The three continue to work on the project, which now involves Youngstown’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) coordinated by Guy Burney. The rallies take place in high-crime areas during the summer when violence often escalates. “The rallies send a message. They spotlight a positive event,” he said. “Those doing a negative activity see the spotlight will be turned on them.”

Read more about the program in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.