2025 is here, but we are still wrapping up our 2024 numbers and reviewing last year’s activities. 2024 was a year of transformation for South Street Ministries — and here are our Top Ten moments from the year (in no particular order!):
- Bike Shop at Summit Lake — Bike Shop moved from 130 W. South St. to 9 Plato Lane — right to the heart of the Summit Lake apartments! This move brought a surge of families and kids to the Bike Shop and laid the groundwork for the next chapter of Bike Shop’s presence and ministry in the Summit Lake neighborhood.
- Reentry to Redirection — The South Street Reentry team changed its name to South Street Redirection Services, a shift that highlights our focus on redirecting mindsets, patterns, and faith within the justice-involved community. Plus, the weekly attendance at the Tuesday meetings has surged to consistently over 70 participants!
- Thanksgiving Dinner(s) — RICH Kids hosted Famsgiving with the youth and parents from the program. South Street delivered 150+ Thanksgiving baskets to neighbors and partners. Our Redirection Services hosted a packed house with its first Thanksgiving Dinner and an open invite to the community and justice-impacted individuals — it was a wonderful (and busy) week!
- Michael Parisher — Michael joined the South Street team in August as the Development Director and has been a huge help in supporting the team, advancing South Street’s sustainability, and deepening connections with the church! Plus, Baby Parisher is due in February 2025!!
- Before I Self Destruct — Luch Griffin had a full year with South Street Ministries working diligently to engage (and intervene) with many of Akron’s youth who are proximate to incidents of violence. When the news covered Akron shootings and hardships, Luch and the South Street team were often close to the situation working in prayerful and intervening means.
- RICH Kids — Kenzie Wash was promoted to Youth Director, and her vision and zeal for RICH Kids made for an amazing 2024 — full of trips, transformation, and testimony! Plus, RICH Kids hosted remarkable young adult workers from the JOG (Jobs for Ohio Graduates) program and wonderful volunteers from Vantage and Grace Church!
- Day of Change — In August, South Street threw a party … the Day of Change was a South Akron block party with an emphasis on supporting justice-involved individuals. With more than 150 neighbors and Reentry participants showing up, it was a beautiful day of dancing, supportive connections, inflatables, delicious BBQ, and community celebration!
- Parks — The South Street team worked throughout the area to transform our community, starting with neighborhood parks. Morgan Park hosted a grand opening with new basketball courts, tables, and a mural (designed and painted with the RICH Kid youth); Marcy Park had flowers and pollinator plants planted along with beautification efforts; and Prentiss Park was awarded the Akron Parks prize and is awaiting a full transformation!
- Full Houses — Both Discipleship House and Restoration House operated for the 2024 calendar year with full rosters: young adults committed to transforming their faith and practices through Discipleship House, and justice-involved women seeking to rebuild and restore their lives through Restoration House. Plus, 2024 hosted a South Street wedding, as David Shahata married Keisha, who joined the Discipleship House team!
- Transformation — Through and through, 2024 was a year of transformation! Women stepped from housing insecurity to sustainability. Young adults stepped from hustle and violence to employment and peace. Community parks became transformed places. Ultimately, lives were transformed! Men and women moved toward faith and community. Kids and teenagers grew and developed in love and community.
2024 was a year of transformation — and we’re excited for more to come in 2025. Thank you for being part of it!
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a South Street staff member, here’s an inside look at the experience — a day in the life of our Director of Community Engagement, Shawn Bonner!
Shawn’s wife, Twilica, makes him breakfast — oatmeal, eggs, and bacon, with a PB&J to go. Shawn packs the rest of his moderated and measured lunch and gets ready to start the day.
One of Shawn’s two phones rings — it’s Rondell from Reentry. There’s an issue with his present housing situation, and he needs Shawn’s help or guidance or mediation or a referral!
Shawn fields the call as he drives to The Front Porch. A few calls later and the situation is either solved or redirected. Shawn grabs the keys to the 15-passenger South Street van and heads to the TMRC facility. Shawn greets the staff, receives the eight-man crew that will be volunteering for the day, directs and encourages the men as he reviews the work-project, and they hit the road.
They all arrive at a local park — they are working alongside Akron Parks Collaborative to facilitate a park clean-up in preparation for a larger project. The men are glad to be out of the facility, and the city partners are thankful for the eager and diligent workers.
Shawn steps to the side to field a phone call from his other phone — it’s Donovan Harris discussing a Reentry opportunity with Shawn and asking for his feedback. They come to a decision for a good plan for next steps and set up a meeting with a new potential partner in Reentry/Redirection work.
Shawn then transports the volunteers back to TMRC and returns to The Front Porch. He prays briefly with another South Street team member who is going through a rough time, offering encouragement and counsel. He heads downstairs as Porchlight closes and cleans up. He laughs with the Porchlight staff as he checks in about their day. Riley, Shawn, and others begin to rearrange the room in preparation for the weekly Reentry meeting.
He facilitates the meeting — giving a prompt and encouraging the participants to share from their experiences and perspectives. A partner from a recovery housing organization shares about their services, and Shawn closes the meeting in prayer as the dozens of participants flock to Shawn, Riley, and others for next steps in referrals, obtaining birth certificates, employment, housing, and more.
Shawn works with Riley and others to clean up the cafe space, making sure it’s up to Porchlight presentation for the next day of business. He calls his wife and lets her know he is on his way home.
Then he’ll be ready to do it all again tomorrow — a lifestyle of prayer, intention, love, and service.
We appreciate your support as Shawn and all our staff members and volunteers use their gifts to help establish God’s Kingdom in more lives here in Greater Akron!
It’s that time of year again! We are so excited to be back up and running with Open Gym, our middle and high school basketball program.
I remember years ago, after a tough night of basketball, one of our older youth shared with others that “we come here for more than just basketball.” This reality, this culture, still rings true. Open Gym has always been more than a free-play basketball program.
On any given night of Open Gym, we enjoy a meal together, creating a space of fellowship. We engage our youth in a lesson, facilitating conversation and reflection. Then, we get to the hooping.
This season of Open Gym, our theme is connected to Proverbs 1. We will unpack many of the different things we are told will bless us but in reality trap us, as we see in Proverbs 1:10-19. Through this discussion, we’ll dive into what the “Empire” calls the “good life” versus what the Kingdom of God calls the good life. We are excited to journey with our youth in this way!
I am also excited to share that this season of Open Gym will be a trial run of transforming our basketball time into an actual league, with coaches and captains. Our hope is for deepened team-building and growth, as well as more competitive basketball.
Would you join us in this special season of Open Gym? We invite you to support Open Gym in any one of a few ways …
- Bring a meal and come eat with us. Click here to sign up!
- Come bring your love and knowledge of basketball and pour into our youth.
- Pray over our youth — pray over their hearts as they are being molded all around. Pray that through the meals we share together, the lessons we impart, the conversations we get to have, the “random” moments of connection, and the game of basketball the Lord would be planting seeds that would grow into an abundant harvest of young people loving the Lord and loving their neighbor.
Your partnership brings the “game of life” and the love of basketball together for each of our Open Gym members. Thank you for making it possible!
Please pray with us! … and for us!
At South Street Ministries, we believe in the power of prayer, and we know there are many partners, families, and friends who regularly lift up our ministry and service in prayer. (Thank you!)
Here’s how to pray for South Street Ministries specifically in 2025:
Pray for the South Street staff — 2024 was a hard year internally with family loss, relational challenges, and the collective toll of violence and trauma. Pray that the staff and core team stay grounded in faith, in love, and in Christ.
Pray for further transformation! Every bike at Bike Shop is a chance to share and learn someone’s story. RICH Kids journeys with youth through grade-school development and formation. South Street Redirection Services walks with women and men as they transition from Reentry to restoration. Pray for God’s transformative work and Spirit in the lives of the hundreds of individuals and families impacted, served, and empowered through South Street Ministries!
Pray for Duane and Lisa Crabbs. Pastor Crabbs has returned to the Akron Fire Department — but is now serving in the role of Chaplain, ministering to both firefighters and victims of house fires. Duane is also working with other partners to address and abate issues of gun violence. Lisa Crabbs is planning her succession from 28 years of serving South Street administratively. Pray for God’s continued good, blessing, direction, and favor for the Crabbs family.
Pray for Bike Shop — we have some exciting visions and dreams of where (literally where) Bike Shop will go! Pray for the connections, support, and direction for the next steps and chapter of South Street’s Bike Shop ministry.
Pray that there is the love of God and the joy of Jesus! As South Street grows and labors, we want to stay centered in the steadfast love of God. Amid challenges, loss, and hardships, we want the joy of Jesus to be within our hearts — that we would consider it pure joy when we face and walk in trials of many kinds. And we want the stories of South Street to be stories intertwined and interwoven with the love of God!
Thank you again for your prayers and support!
“Together, we’re not just building physical bridges; we’re reinforcing the foundational support that fosters God’s work for the next 25 years and beyond in our neighborhoods.”
Wise words from South Street Executive Director Joe Tucker …
And a mission you can join today!
Become a South Street Bridge Builder by partnering with us monthly, and you will play a crucial role in supporting our vital programs — including Reentry, RICH Kids, South Street Cycles, Open Gym, Bike Shop, and more … all designed to empower and uplift the residents of South Akron and Summit Lake.
Plus, you’ll receive a very special gift in appreciation for your generosity.
Thank you in advance for providing continuous help and hope where it’s needed most!
At South Street Ministries, we love offering opportunities for our kids to learn and grow.
This school year, the fourth- and fifth-grade RICH Kids girls had the amazing opportunity to enhance their love for dance — being exposed to an intentional environment and amazing professional instructors. A HUGE “thank you” to The Dance Exchange and Ms. MyAhna, Ms. Sienna, and Ms. Chloe for providing a consistent space for all our kids to learn and grow alongside their peers. They love learning new steps and moving to music!
Some of my favorite parts of Tuesdays and Thursdays is seeing the excitement on our girls’ faces as they talk about dance class and how they love their instructors. They always love showing Ms. Kenzie and I their new dance combos and moves.
One of the best things to watch is just the pure joy on their faces while they are challenged in new ways with ballet and tap.
I am so proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zones and trying something new this year. We look forward to our upcoming recital in June and sharing all they have accomplished this season!
Your prayerful support of South Street Ministries makes caring, compassionate Kingdom work possible.
It is your generous giving that keeps us walking alongside children, families, and neighbors who need hope. Together, we’re making an impact alongside you to renew our community for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Thank you, and God bless you!