ABOVE: Community ministry outreach meeting attendees
Under the leadership of Dr. Manson B. Johnson, Shepherd-Teacher and Prison Ministry leader, Sister Alberta Alston, Holman Street Baptist Church hosted their first-ever I Am My Brother’s & Sister’s Keeper Ministry (MBSKM) Banquet on June 2.
Over 75 individuals were in attendance at the community ministry outreach meeting, where they were celebrated for the work they have done to proactively re-acclimate themselves with society in a productive and meaningful way.
The I Am My Brother’s & Sister’s Keeper Ministry’s purpose is to:
- Reach re-entry men and women for Jesus Christ and celebrates their freedom.
- Sponsor activities for re-entry men and women to that allow them to have a common fellowship with other re-entries.
- Connect re-entry people to existing resources to help them re-adjust to the larger community.
- Take prison ministry from the back burner and bring it to the front burner with all of the respect that it deserves in a Christian Ministry.
- Meet on a regular basis to keep re-entry men and women updated with helpful changes within our society and within the justice systems locally, state and nationally.
I Am My Brother’s & Sister’s Keeper Ministry Meetings will be held each Saturday before the first Sunday of each month.
The next meeting is scheduled for June 30, 2018 from 2:05 to 4:05 pm at 3501 Holman in Houston’s Third Ward. A free delicious home cooked meal will be served, however attendees do need to call and RSVP at 713.741.8451.
They must have your name in order to save a seat for you, but act quickly because seats will fill up fast. If there is no direct answer, you are asked to please leave a name and a phone number to be contacted.
The community is encouraged to let everyone who can benefit from this ministry, know about this extremely important and much-needed community ministry outreach in the Greater Houston area.
Under the leadership of Dr. Johnson, he continues to impact the lives of those in need as he has with EastSide University, which serves over 200 unduplicated adults and their families each year, providing a second-chance educational alternative to those who were previously “living on the edge” but desire a new found purpose and the marketable skill set required to succeed as productive citizens.
EastSide University also utilizes a “literacy pipeline” that helps learners from diverse backgrounds and experiences transition from GED and workforce readiness skills acquisition to vocational training, post-secondary education, and employment; bridges the digital divide by providing tuition-supported technical and vocational skills classes and access to information and resources needed to positively impact the cycle of generational poverty; offers computer skills, English for non-native speakers, GED preparation, Spanish, basic literacy (reading, writing, and math), citizenship exam preparation, parenting and nutrition, college and career preparation, and financial education classes through the generous support of community partners; provides free computer and internet access to the community as a WeCAN Public Technology Center; provides accredited, quality instruction and learning based on equity, high expectations, learning support services, student engagement, progress monitoring and feedback, learning application, management, and technology integration; functions as one of only fourteen “special purpose schools” in Houston, Texas, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS/AdvancEd); and consists of a diverse group of students from all over the globe with backgrounds ranging from high school dropouts, to under/un-employed, ex-offenders, single parents, military veterans, employed seeking promotion, immigrants, and retired seniors.