On August 13, 2016, Sylville Smith, a 23 year old African American male, was shot and killed by a City of Milwaukee police officer. This event occurred three blocks from our church campus. His death sparked an evening of riots and a summer of unrest. That horrific evening was also the onset of a new beginning for collaborative ministry to the people impacted here in our Sherman Park.
I am humbled and proud to be the Lead Pastor at Parklawn Assembly of God. Our church has taken a lead role in strategically providing healing and development opportunities in Sherman Park. Since that horrific night, we have lead strategic planning sessions for concerned clergy (referred to as the MKE Declaration Pastors Group – (http://milwaukeedeclaration.com/). This group were boots on the ground each night during the unrest in Sherman Park, preventing greater turmoil. We continue to meet bi weekly to develop, equip and provide Adopt-a-Block services in the community.
Immediately after the riots, we sponsored a Community Listening session for Youth, Young adults and concerned residents to debrief on the unrest. Nearly 500 people attended. This was a collaborative effort of churches, elected officials and community based organizations and hosted here at Parklawn Assembly of God. In addition, we provided a two-day training on Community Chaplaincy in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and The Salvation Army. 65 people attended the training.
It is our privilege to continue to prayer walk and make disciples among the unchurched young adults most effected by the shooting death of Sylville Smith. God has given us tremendous favor in the lives of elected officials, community organizations and residents. Both the mayor of Milwaukee and Governor of Wisconsin have commended the efforts of our church in convening a multiethnic presence of the body of Christ in response to the unrest.
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