The Outreach Program started in the late 1980s. This Program grew out of a need to help financially the transient people who frequently came to our Church with financial needs. This program allows the membership to contribute to a fund that will be in place when needs arise.
When the idea of having an Outreach Program was presented to the then Pastor, the late Bishop C. J. Hicks, he approved. The agreement was that the money raised would have to be entirely a “freewill offering” and would not be raised as a Church Offering at the Offering Table. The implementation of the Program was given to the late Elder William Greene. This Program was blessed from the very beginning and there was always enough money, given after the Benediction, to meet all charitable requests that came to us. This Program still operates
In early 1990 through the late Elder Greene’s work at Mercer University, he was made aware of a need concerning mothers who were allowed to go through a Substance Abuse Program and live in a facility and keep their children rather than go to jail. One of these facilities was the “Town Pavilion Hotel in downtown Macon. The Outreach Program decided to make these women their project. Once a month a dinner was prepared and served along with distributing toiletries
The Outreach Group would meet and discuss what needs they encountered in the Community as well as the within the membership. We started a ”letter writing program” for persons in prison. These were always persons who were recommended by members. We would write letters and send a money order for $20 dollars to the prisoner. We also began a “Free Brown Bag Lunch
Ash Street Church is still working the Outreach Ministry. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, starting at 11:00 AM, we operate our Food Outreach Ministry in the parking lot, serving people in the community. Our Food Outreach Ministry is coordinated by First Lady Engram under the current leadership of Bishop Ronald Engram
