Smith Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church in Anniston, Ala., began Haven of Hope, as an outreach ministry, drawing on the skills, talents, and passions of its congregation. In 2023, they received an Equipping the Local Church grant from The Foundation for Evangelism, and the initiative began with feeding the unhoused in a neighborhood park. From there, it evolved into distributing food one day out of the week and a meal following worship service on Sunday.
As the congregation members saw the greater work being done through Haven of Hope, they began using their own connections in the community to seek out other civic groups to partner with the church’s effort. The ministry bloomed from there. Hygiene and cooling kits were distributed to the community, food and necessities were gathered to give to unhoused families and individuals, and the church opened up its doors, welcoming the community for meals, fellowship, spiritual growth, and celebrations.
At first, it was challenging to convince the unsheltered community to join them in the sanctuary for church services. But some members of the congregation used their own life experiences, including trials and challenges, to relate to the newcomers. Some of those families began attending church services and became an integral part of the ministry, helping to prepare meals, assisting with mobile distribution, and attending job training classes. Smith A.M.E. Zion Church’s pastor, Rev. Sylvia Hooker, shared that those outreach attendees that once sat silent toward the back of the church now sit side-by-side with long-time church members and participate wholly in the worship time, giving them a sense of belonging in a welcoming Christ-centered place.
Recently, Smith Metropolitan has added a second morning worship service called “Soup, Shelter, and Service.” This worship service provides lunch to attendees that in the past found it difficult to attend the morning worship service. New community partnerships, including the Department of Evangelism of the Opelika District and the Connectional Department of Evangelism for the A.M.E. Zion Church, the Veteran’s Administration, other local churches, a local BPOE (Elks) chapter, an Order of the Eastern Star chapter, and a transitional placement center provide relief for shelter, counseling, shoes and clothing, helping the unsheltered in their community, who were previously underserved, to improve their quality of life.
Rev. Hooker shared that, “Over the past year, over 2,500 unsheltered, families in transition, and incarcerated men and women have been impacted in our community through the support of The Foundation for Evangelism’s grant.”
New members continue to be welcomed by Smith Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church, and the spirit is “harmonious” as new and long-time friends join together through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ promise to give life and give it abundantly is being lived out at this small church in Anniston, Ala.
