By Joe Tucker

One of the blessings of 2020’s Bike Shop on the Road has been working closer with parents to secure bikes for full families.  

One blended family we met required a pre-visit to figure out correct sizes and what extra parts to bring to repair broken bikes they already owned. 

As I pulled in, the family was on the porch with two Akron Public School teachers assisting the children there with connecting Chromebooks to WiFi and the correct Google classroom. I was glad to see a deep connectivity between school, family, and ministry in order to support the kids. 

And here’s another pillar of support for kids and families — prayer.  

As we’ve been with parents and neighbors, we often end with asking how we can be in prayer for them.

This is what this particular family shared with me: 

It’s hard with the kids being out of the school building. Some of the kids have IEPs and need the extra attention. Pray for us as we figure out the confusion and challenges of technology.

This continues to be a year laden with challenge. Yet faith exists all the more in moments of hardship. Please join us in prayer for parents and families all over South Akron and Summit Lake! 

Our 7th annual Trails N Rails presented by Universal Screen Arts event is open for registration — and we hope you’ll join us to make a real impact in our community!

We’re going virtual this year, shifting things online to best accommodate all guests and friends who participate. But the same heart, excitement, and surprises are coming your way — on Facebook — now through October. 

Make sure to follow us on Facebook for:

1. Staff Stories & Challenges — Each staff member takes time to tell you a favorite ministry moment and provides a challenge for you and your family.
2. Sponsor Highlights — A check-in with corporate and church supporters who make this fundraiser so special.
3. A Surprise From Joe — We aren’t quite sure what Joe is up to, but we know you won’t want to miss it!

Don’t miss Trails N Rails this year … be sure to register here today and follow us on Facebook for 10 days of Trails N Rails!

By Zachary Arnold

This is my second summer with South Street Ministries, and what a unique summer it has been! 

With all that is going on in the United States and around the world, volunteering has looked quite different from my previous experience. 

One thing remains the same, however, and that is God’s people serving the community around South Street. I am working with Bike Shop this year, which is a totally different experience from previous years …

Instead of the children coming to the shop and working on their bikes, we volunteers and staff members prepare the bikes beforehand and deliver them ourselves. At their homes, we get to see the children and parents smile and enjoy their bikes! 

It is such a blessing to work with an organization like South Street Ministries, helping the community in a practical way while spreading the love of Jesus Christ. The days I spend volunteering provide me a reminder of the importance of serving others in general, but also in a capacity that causes me to step outside of my comfort zone or familiarities. 

I did not grow up in Akron, and the areas we serve are different from my upbringing. But this opportunity gives me the chance to make unlikely connections. 

God calls Christians to service … and South Street Ministries helps me fulfill that calling!  

By Joe Tucker

I am excited to share that the Front Porch is slowly re-opening! 

We have taken the utmost care and intention to ensure safety and distancing within the Front Porch in light of the pandemic. 

Very soon, select recovery groups and a revised Reentry Support group will begin to reconvene in limited numbers. Front Porch building partners — such as Faithful Servants and the Kingdom Leadership Alliance — are also planning a return to programming and services under limited attendance conditions, mask-wearing, and other best practices. 

I am very thankful to our staff and board for helping to think through the many contingencies and policies needed to keep a place like this open and safe. 

Additionally, we are choosing to keep our Front Porch Cafe “paused” for the time being. We recognize that restaurants will never be the same again, so we are striving to prayerfully plan through the next chapter of the Cafe since it is a place of gathering, a hub of connection, a center for workforce development, a profitable social enterprise, and, ultimately, a piece of God’s Kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven! 

Please continue to pray for vision, and provision, for the next iteration of the Front Porch Café. Thank you!

School has just begun, and we could not be more proud of our Summit Lake and South Akron families! 

The adventure of embracing a new mode of learning will bring its challenges, but we are confident our students will conquer and succeed. 

South Street’s sincere prayer is for the health and safety of every student in the wake of COVID-19, for the advancement of their education, and that the joy of just being kids will rest on them in this time of uncertainty.

Our RICH Kids Enrichment Program will return for the Fall 2020 semester on September 21, 2020, to serve South Street families. As our students begin their learning journey, please remember they need the support of our entire community. 

Sign up to become a virtual tutor today! Thank you!

We’d like to take the opportunity to thank our Trails N Rails presented by Universal Screen Arts event ponsors! Without your support, our events and outreaches wouldn’t be possible. 

• We’re grateful for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church — a congregation that shares South Street’s vision to renew our community for the sake of Christ. Trails N Rails “furthers our faith and mutual pursuit of Christ in Akron,” the church told us, “as we work together to see Him formed in our neighbors …”
  
  

  “The work of South Street Ministries plays a vital role in fulfilling the Good News of Jesus in Akron, as their many partners join with them in proclaiming Jesus’ ministry of good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and setting the oppressed free.” Thank you, St. Paul’s, for all you do!

• We want to thank InflatableOffice LLC – Rental Software as well, a sponsor that understands the importance of South Street’s efforts and sees the potential for impact on our community in outreaches like Trails N Rails.
  
  Providing rental software, website help, and search engine optimization services, this local business likes what South Street Ministries does and what we’re about.

These sponsors help us revitalize our neighborhoods and make South Akron and Summit Lake a better place to live.