An outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association working in race torn Ferguson, Missouri is proving someone cares.
It’s been three years since Micheal Brown Jr’s death in Ferguson, Missouri touched off racial strife across the nation and a closer look at the officer involved shootings.
While some work has been done to repair the damage that followed Brown’s death, the racial divide remains. But quietly, one group has been making a difference, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team.
Rev. Jose Aguayo, a chaplain with the group says their “Adopt a Block” group is pouring the love of Jesus Christ on the community one Saturday at a time. In addition to weekly neighborhood visits, the group also has frequent events, like community barbecues. And earlier this month, on the anniversary of Brown’s death, volunteers hosted a prayer tent.
Desuirea Harris, Brown’s grandmother, says “They were the only people that have reached out to me in the whole 26 months that my grandson has been gone” adding, “They are the only ones that have kept coming. They come and they pray with me every week, and they keep me a little bit afloat.”
Aguayo is training more Adopt-A-Block volunteers at the Ferguson Community Center. The group, comprised of local church attendees and residents, continues to grow, and every Saturday, volunteers visit with assigned parts of the city. Their mission is simply to love their neighbors. A new aspect of the Adopt-A-Block outreach involves helping seniors, single parents, veterans and disabled residents to help with home repairs.