News outlets report on the violence and crime occurring in downtown St. Louis, but The Rock City Church is shining the light of Christ in the “crime-ridden” area.
“We are in the Cochran neighborhood, which is one of the most impoverished and crime ridden in the nation,” pastor Jesse Sneed of the City Church said. “It is in the 99th percentile.”
The church plant had its first service in October in cooperation with UrbanReachSTL. “My wife, Savannah, and her mother, Tina (Squires), started this ministry,” Sneed continued. “Savannah attended a conference in Memphis geared to reaching people on the street. When she came back to St. Louis, she started in the toughest neighborhood. In 2017, they hosted Bible Clubs for the children in the neighborhood.”
John 3:16 focus
“They just loved on the children and taught them Bible stories,” Sneed said. “They focused on John 3:16, taught them music, art/crafts, dances and sports. They averaged 15 children per day, and they have served hundreds of families through the years.”
Working in cooperation with his family’s ministry and The Rock Church, St. Louis, the City Church has been holding Sunday afternoon services in the community center, which is one block from the purchased building that they hope to restore one day.
“That building was once a church,” Sneed said, “but it became one of the largest drug houses in the area. All kinds of demonic practices and prostitution were located there, as well.”
“We hold prayer meetings in the building,” he said, “but we can’t do anything else because it is in bad shape. Pastor Tim (Corwin of The Rock Church, St. Louis) showed up to one of our prayer meetings. We had invited 30–35 pastors, but Pastor Tim was the only one who came.”
The mission of The Rock Church, St. Louis, is stated on the website by Pastor Corwin: “Lifting up Jesus, Making Disciples, is our main purpose and what God has called The Rock Church of St. Louis to do.”
To read full story, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Vicki Stamps and originally published by the Pathway.
