Food insecurity in Fresno County is a real and a pressing problem. The irony is that those of us who live in Fresno reside in a Land of Plenty and bounty. In many ways the Fresno area is the breadbasket for the nation and the world.
Redeemer's Church in Reedley got a new pastor the end of this summer. His name is Nick Jones, and we took a moment to sit down and chat with him recently to learn more about his background and his plans for Redeemer's. Nick has been involved with some wonderful ministries in Fresno and has an inspiring story to tell.
Care Fresno has been making a difference in Fresno for over 20 years. From the early days, when Gordon Donoho first introduced the ministry to me, through the leadership of Nick Jones, and now under Randy Mewhirter, there have been many changes, but also much consistency. Care Fresno’s Mission is central to its work: “Training People and Churches to Address Poverty by Investing in Under-Resourced Communities and Mentoring At-Risk Youth and Families!”
On the Reedley High School campus there are many different clubs of all shapes and sizes. French Club, Drama Club, GSA, FFA, Christian Club, Key Club---something for everyone to be a part of, and they all serve a purpose of some kind. One of the newer clubs on campus strives to do something bigger--something that reaches way beyond Reedley High, and even Reedley itself.
Sophy is 13 years old. She lives in the dangerous and oppressive slum of Huruma in Nairobi, Kenya. Sophy's future would have been a bleak one except for one thing, she had the opportunity to attend school. Today she is attending the Furaha High School and is in the top 1% of success in the nation. This was made possible by the Furaha Community Foundation who runs a school in the slum, and the Foundation is just one of the organizations partnered with When I Grow Up, a ministry of Redeemer's Church in Reedley.
This week we have the privilege of another guest post by local writer and Fresno Pacific Student Kurt Willems. It was originally published on Kurt's blog on October 24, 2011.
