A church in Mobile, Alabama, is helping youth within the local community learn how to take responsibility by understanding the importance of work.
PrayerHouse Ministries Pastor Billy King was becoming disturbed by the recent spike in murders occurring in the city, especially among young males.
“We’ve been having so many murders of our young boys and many of them are under the age of 25,” King recently told WALA.
In 2021, there were 51 homicides documented in the city, which was the deadliest year in the past two decades, according to WRKG.
Knowing how important it is for young men to have positive male role models within their lives and understanding how work can change one’s trajectory, King decided to get creative.
The pastor organized a workshop named “Operation Restoration” for young men in the area and had them tour different stations featuring local businessmen from different walks of life.
The types of professions at each station ranged from landscaping, truck driving, photography, and painting, WALA noted.
King recognized this was a project that could not wait any longer for the youth who toured the different stations.
“It’s something that we need to do and need to be in a hurry about doing it because they’re dying,” he said.
This was the second workshop event King had organized, and he hopes he can do more similar events in the future.
“We want to make sure that we continue this on, not just meet them one time but we want to stay in contact with them on a day-to-day basis,” King explained.
King is now hoping that other churches and organizations will take a similar approach in helping young men seek better life choices while making a positive impact on their lives.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.