When Vision Church first met Donovan he was full of anger. He and his mother had been abandoned by his father. Donovan was already attuned to the systemic racism around him. Week by week he vented his anger. But week by week Vision Church offered him mentoring and training through our BARE program (Behavior, Attitude, Responsibility and Entrepreneurship). By the end of the six-week program he has been transformed by the love of the gospel. His clenched fists had been replaced by a big smile.
Vision is a predominately black church plant in Southeast Raleigh. We planted six years ago and have recently outgrown our building. Our church planting strategy is summarized by what we call ‘the 3 Is’:
- Invite = evangelism
- Invest = discipleship
- Inspire = multiplication
We’re working on ministries to affect systemic change, focusing on: poor, prisoners, single-parents & the unborn
We’re working on ministries that will affect systemic change with a focus on four areas: the poor, prisoners, single-parents and the unborn. Our long-term challenge isn’t contextualization but gentrification, for the neighborhood in which we serve is one in which the long-standing residents are being displaced.
We’re not just focusing on events, but long-term partnerships with the neighborhood. BARE is our mentorship program for boys. The boys in the program usually don’t have male voices in their lives, so spending time with men from the church makes a big impact. Our ladies have also started a mentorship program called Project PROMise. We eventually want to create an after-school program with an emphasis on STEEM – science, technology, engineering and math plus evangelism! Donovan’s story was recently featured in Outreach Magazine which was huge for us as a church because it showed our people how their efforts are making an impact.
Please pray:
- For our people to grow as evangelists.
- That we will multiply disciple-making disciples.
- For funds for a new building and more staff.
