Shirley Annan serves as the chair of Spark of Justice, the social justice ministry of Bethel Gospel Assembly, an evangelical church in Upper Manhattan, NYC.

Episode Summary:

Shirley Annan serves as the Ministry Coordinator and Chair of Spark of Justice for a New York City, evangelical, Pentecostal church. She talks about the needs of the church’s neighborhood, the ministry of reconciliation, and looks at social justice through the lens of Biblical justice.

Scripture Related to Episode:

Proverbs 31:8-9

Topics Discussed:

• How does Spark of Justice (SOJ) ministry work?
• Christians as agents of reconciliation
• Secular social justice compared to Biblical justice
• Advocating for neighbors in need during the Covid19 pandemic
• Environmental justice and stewardship
• Employment, joblessness, public housing and poverty in local community
• Impact on young people when they have "adult level stress"
• Treating the roots rather than the symptoms of problems
• Digital divide exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic
• Working with local partners to interrupt youth violence in the community

Links Related to Episode:

www.bethelga.org

@sparkofjustice – Instagram

@sparkofjustice.nyc – FB

Prayer points:

• Please pray for the love and wisdom of our team; may we lead with the love of Christ and minister with His wisdom to bring lasting and significant transformation to the community we serve.

• Please pray for the hearts, minds and ears of our young people to be open & receptive to the message of God's love, hope, grace & redemption available to them.

• Please pray that the Lord will continue to provide the resources (human, physical, material and financial resources) to make us effective in the work he has assigned to our hands. As we launch and expand creative ministry offerings to meet expressed needs, please pray we find favor with potential partners, donors, facilitators and supporters.

• Please pray especially for our success as we try to secure buses to safely transport youth through unsafe streets from home to our church. Many will not/cannot attend programming because they are concerned about being able to travel safely.

• Please pray for the work of the church ministry, both at home & abroad - may we be the expression of His faithfulness to all we encounter (in South Africa, Jamaica, Aruba, Japan, etc).