Urban Ministry

We had Dwayne Cline speak at Richview today. Dwayne is pastor of Hughson Street Baptist Church, located in the north end of Hamilton – one of the poorest neighborhoods in Canada. It’s been there since 1887. In 1990, the church was dying, with only a few people in attendance. It’s now packed out. In fact, they’re moving across the road to a new auditorium that can seat 400. What’s impressive isn’t so much their growth, but their ministry to the urban poor. A lot of urban churches have suburban congregations, because they don’t know what to do with their own community. In the Hughson Street area, 52% of people don’t have a high school diploma. 29% live on CDN$20,000 or less annual income. The average income in that neighborhood is 38% less than the rest of the city. A single person on welfare makes only $520 a month. Hughson Street has chosen to serve its community. They feed 80-100 kids every school morning. Half the children wouldn’t have breakfast if they didn’t feed them. They provide tutoring, and organize a low-cost soccer league. This past Christmas, they gave out over 100 hampers to families in need. They have credibility with the local schools and social agencies because of their incredible track record. Money’s tight, but they’re committed to living out God’s call to care for the poor. They need partners to support them, because those who attend the church cannot afford to contribute what it costs to run the ministries. Of course, they also need prayer as well. In these days, in which it’s very easy to get discouraged about the church, it’s encouraging to see a church like Hughson Street doing it right.