37th Year of Faithful Volunteer Service

Justice For All (JFA) has been volunteering with Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM) for 37 years!  Such consistent service is a wonderful testimony of their love and care for those who VOCM serves.   Dale Baker, pictured above, has been volunteering with JFA here at VOCM for each and all of those 37 years!

This year JFA’s volunteer team performed some repair and maintenance on VOCM houses, assisted one of our senior citizen homeowners with scraping and painting the trim on her home, worked on a house in our neighborhood that will become a community kitchen, transformed an unusable trailer back into service with some welding, carpentry and mechanical prowess, and attended a Black History Month event at Barr Elementary School (our After School Program partner).

Sharing what this year’s week of volunteering meant to them is:

Joe Vander Zee, JFA’s President shared,

“Our trip to West Jackson with Voice of Calvary Ministries was great.  We had a very healthy balance of service and learning opportunities with our trip.  Justice for All and VOCM have had a great partnership over the years, and I was able to serve with people who have a wonderful heart for West Jackson.  I was able to get a better understanding about West Jackson, the community’s history, and the vision that Voice of Calvary is helping to bring to fruition.  We also had great fellowship with our serve team, the VOCM staff, Common Ground Church leaders, and the Perkins Center.  It is great to see many partners working together to carry out the gospel.”

Pat Vanderpol, long time JFA staff member, has been coming to work alongside VOCM from the beginning of JFA’s annual trip to Jackson.  Pat shared what her week with VOCM meant to her,

“Hearing the testimonies and stories of the staff of VOCM. It gave us a great understanding of all the ways VOCM seeks to bring hope and wholeness to their neighbors in West Jackson; the homeless veterans next door, around the state, and now in the prisons of MS; and the children at Barr Elementary school.  It was a privilege to become a small part of their efforts as we served VOCM in many different ways throughout the week. I pray that what we did was a blessing for VOCM and I know that the JFA team was blessed very much!”

Last but not least is Lauren Kleyer, JFA’s Communications Manager had this to share,

“Justice for All of Rock Valley, Iowa has been partnering with VOC for many years to bring groups to Jackson, Mississippi to help with work projects.  This year was no exception.  As a group, we had the chance to connect with some of the staff members of VOC over lunch at the Koinonia Coffee Shop, we were able to complete a few projects that will allow VOC to sell houses in the community, and we were able to build lasting relationships with both local individuals as well as our fellow attendees.  The whole week brought us a better understanding of life in Jackson and the poverty that plagues it.  It was eye-opening and heart-tugging for the 13 team members and not a week we will easily forget.”

Our Faithful Partners

All of us at VOCM are thankful for JFA and all of our faithful partners who participate, through financial contributions and volunteer initiatives, in making lives here in Jackson and around the state whole and fulfilling by rebuilding lives and communities through the Gospel.  Will you please consider becoming a monthly donor, a new one time donor or come and volunteer?  We could not do the work we do without your faithful support.

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