The leadership of Westbrook Park United Methodist Church (Central Valley District) in Canton continues to adapt its ministries to meet the needs of the people in the communities they serve. One such ministry is the Elevate Life Network, a workforce development program modeled after one its previous pastor experienced in Denver, Colorado several years ago.
“When we saw what the program could be we said, ‘This is it, this is the future, this is what we were meant to do. This is really the impetus of what our vision of being Christ for Canton is really about, and this is how we’re going to do it,’” said Eric Spaulding COO/CDO of Elevate Life Network.
Bringing Hope to the Hopeless
The mission of Elevate Life Network is to abolish economic, relational and spiritual poverty. The program teaches life skills as well as job skills to help those who are going through the program – who are referred to as leaders – break free from what has inhibited them in the past.
“They don’t just need jobs they need to get out of these poverty cycles they need to break these structures. But without building that new structure to support them, it cannot succeed,” shared Spaulding.
Spaulding and his wife Diana form a leadership team – with Diana serving as the executive director – which oversees the entire process from beginning to graduation.
“The first six weeks are the roughest, where we focus on personal development. We teach soft skills such as conflict resolution, showing up on time and emotional intelligence,” said Diana, who shared that the current class has nine leaders who are preparing to graduate.
Those first six weeks include a round of mock interviews with professionals from the community to help prepare leaders for what will be awaiting them at the end of their program. “Some aren’t the most polished and it gives them a chance to prepare for how they’re going to answer the questions that come off the wall in a professional manner, and that gives them the chance to work those kinks out,” she said.
Changing Lives of People in the Community
“We want leaders to start at a minimum wage for a single person of $17 an hour or more. That allows them to be at the self-sufficient line in Stark County. It is a very affordable area. For people with children, you need to be looking at more than that,” said Diana. The current class of leaders includes those who are studying for certificates in plumbing, electrical, HVAC and medical billing coding, all trades that are in high demand in Stark County.
“We don’t want them to just get a job and be stuck,” Diana said. “We want it to be a career with growth potential.”
Diana also elaborated that the trades are more forgiving of a person’s past when it comes to hiring.
People who come in and have things in their background, you know it’s not their shining moment but they carry that shame with them and we talk about that during the first six weeks. We tell them the things that you learn from your mistakes you can use that as a positive. The fact that you keep putting one foot in front of the other I would be glad to have you as an employee,” she said.
Deshaun, one of the current leaders who will graduate with his certificate in HVAC, shared that he did not want to just get stuck in a job. “I don’t just want to go to any HVAC company. I want to go where they really welcome me and they actually appreciate me. I want to be somewhere where in the next five to 10 years I have some history behind me. I want to be stable. I don’t want to jump into it like a job and down the line be looking for somewhere else to work. It’s up to me to want to be there, not just for them to want me to be there,” he said.
Leaders experience more than just life training and job coaching at Elevate Life Network. They have people who are showing up in their lives unconditionally, something that many of them do not have outside the program. The program builds a community, with Eric and Diana, two career coaches and allies – there are a host of people who are committed to showing up in the lives of the leaders, week in and week out.
Your Generosity Helps Others
By supporting your local congregation’s outreach ministries, you impact lives of your surrounding communities and those around the world. No matter what part of the world we live in, your generosity can reach across oceans and help churches like Westbrook Park United Methodist Church help those that are less fortunate.
excerpt from a story by Brett Hetherington, Communications specialist, East Ohio Conference
This story represents how United Methodist local churches through their Annual Conferences are living as Vital Congregations. The overarching purpose of The United Methodist Church is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." A vital congregation is one that is effectively engaged in this mission. Together, we become a powerful force for healing, growth, and transformation—living out the Gospel in every corner of the globe.
