In a little house in the middle of crime-ridden Prichard, a group of people are shining the light of Jesus Christ in the darkness found in the surrounding communities.
Light of the Village (LOV) is an inner-city ministry that exists to share a message of faith, hope and love and provide refuge for the ones who are living in darkness.
The ministry is located in Alabama Village, one of the most dangerous and impoverished neighborhoods in Prichard, which is near Mobile, and reportedly also is one of the most dangerous and impoverished areas in the state.
LOV was started in 2002 when the founders, John and Dolores Eads, felt led to establish a full-time ministry after being involved in prison ministry. The goal was to share Christ’s love, get to know the community and prevent people from ending up in prison.
LOV holds an after-school program three days a week for children in the area, a GED program, Sunday morning Bible studies and many other activities for the community. A big part of their ministry comes during the summer, when they hold a seven-week Bible camp for local children.
Dolores Eads said the No. 1 priority of the summer camp is not just that the children and adults get to know the staff but that they will be led to Christ through the staff.
“We believe that He is the one who can save everybody, and once you come to know Him, He changes you from the inside out and changes who you are,” she said. “That’s our whole goal.”
The annual summer camp has been a part of the community for 10 years. This year marks the first expansion to another campus: First Baptist Church, Chickasaw.
The idea started when the Eadses, being near the church and seeing that many kids involved in LOV live in Chickasaw, saw a chance to expand the summer camp’s impact. At first the plan was to have a weeklong pilot camp at the church, but opportunities opened up for enough staff members to be involved, and everything came together for a camp all summer. The camp at First, Chickasaw, became known as Camp Faith.
Adam Hammond, pastor of First, Chickasaw, said there has been longtime cooperation between LOV and the church and that establishing the camp was “all God.”
“God wants to reach the city of Chickasaw in a big way, and He’s allowing us at First, Chickasaw, (and) LOV and all of our volunteers to be a part of it,” Hammond said. “It’s great when the Kingdom of God can come together for a common purpose.”
Camp Faith follows the same routine and schedule as the camp on LOV’s main campus in Alabama Village, with the added convenience of being in a bigger facility.
The 2013 Camp Faith ran until July 26. A normal day at the camp begins when the children are welcomed at the morning assembly. The group is led in a daily song and is introduced to the Bible study topic they will be discussing that day.
Also in the morning assembly, the children play a game to get them excited for the rest of the day. Lunch follows the assembly, with different rotational periods consisting of different stations of games, art, music and Bible study. Interns and volunteers from across the country lead each age group, ranging from age 4 to 14.
Morgan Carnley, director of Camp Faith, said the people of First, Chickasaw, have been phenomenal in supporting everyone involved in the camp, making sure needs are always met and keeping their common goal aligned — sharing the gospel.
“Our primary goal is to reach the kids with the gospel of Christ, with it going out through the Word but also through deeds in individuals,” Carnley said.
“In those moments when you can hug and spend time with someone, that’s when you know the love of Christ is being shared in word and deed.”
For more information about the ministry of Light of the Village, visit www.lightofthevillage.org.
To follow the blog of the LOV summer interns, visit lightofthevillage.wordpress.com.
Share with others: