“The Lord All-Powerful said to me: I love Zion so much that her enemies make me angry. I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city, and Zion will be known as my holy mountain. Very old people with walking sticks will once again sit around in Jerusalem, while boys and girls play in the streets. This may seem impossible for my people who are left, but it isn’t impossible for me the Lord All-Powerful.”
— Zechariah 8: 1-6
According to a Center for Disease Control study in 2005, the out-of-wedlock birthrate was 70 percent in the black community. The National Fatherhood Initiative reports that 60 percent of rapists, 72 percent of adolescent murderers and 70 percent of long-term prison inmates come from fatherless homes. These are massive problems that need addressing. We believe our Zechariah 8 program is part of the answer to the breakdown of our nation’s families and communities.
We created our Zechariah 8 Community Project out of the the need for an environment described in the passage of Zechariah 8. Our desire is to create an environment where the values, wisdom and heritage of the old could be transferred to the young. With our elderly held hostage in their homes because of crime and deliquence they are unable to share their wisdom and love. We want to change that.
The program is deisgned for parents, most of whom are single mothers, with two or more children. We saw a recurring pattern where children would join our youth development programs and because of unstable living environments they would have to move and be pulled out of the ministry. We were tired of slumlords having control of our kids. We decided to take control and become responsible landlords for these families.
With donations from individuals and corporations we are able to purchase homes in the West Jackson neighborhood. Using local volunteers and help from mission teams from all around the nation, we renovate the houses. Instead of putting the bare minimum to make them “livable” we go a step further to make the homes a little nicer. When we have finished the renovations, which sometimes include new kitchens, carpet, bathrooms, roofing and always includes paint, we find a family that will fit!
Join our mission. If you would like to partner with our Zechariah 8 mission visit our support page.
