Keon

“If you don’t have competencies, collaborations and principles of what it means to be a church in a city, in a community that’s poor and dense, you really are going to make failure inevitable,” says Keon, who recently launched Bridge City Church (BCC) in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood with some coaching from our Community Development team.

Keon is a native Clevelander with a passion for diversity, which is why he chose to open his new church in one of the most culturally and racially diverse neighborhoods in Cleveland. He says, “Growing up, the black church was truly a place of refuge for me. I want to offer the same to the population of Clark-Fulton and surrounding communities, whatever diversity they bring.”

Keon’s story is a reflection of the Lord’s faithfulness over and over again. Adopted by two pastors at a young age, his environment groomed him for ministry, and he was transformed by people in the church. He knew he wanted to serve the same way he was served and discipled throughout his youth.

“What I know and value and am passionate about is God’s ministry. I specifically feel God calling me and gracing me to help people deal with issues of race and come together as one - many parts but one body - the Body of Christ,” says Keon.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

At just four years old, Keon’s grandfather recorded him on a cassette tape preaching and telling his grandfather he was going to be a pastor. Needless to say, his grandfather was not shocked at all when Keon told him later in life that he wanted to be a pastor - he knew all along.

Yet, to be successful long-term, Keon and his church plant team needed training and equipping for a city context. Through a long-term partnership with one of his sending churches, they began working with our Community Development team, conducting workshops, prayer walks and equipping.

“If we are going to do the work of bringing diversity all under one roof, we needed experts of urban ministry to help educate and expose the team from BCC to issues of race, urban ministry and Christian Community Development principles. (If you haven’t taken this class of ours yet, you need to! Sign up here! ).

While it was the black church that formed Keon, God was pushing his heart towards something different - a complete picture of The Church - with all of God’s people. His desire is to build a life-giving church that models and addresses the fact that we can be broken, healed, Hispanic, black, white; and what we all have in common is our need for Jesus, our need for a Savior.

With services under their belt since September, this is what Keon, the BCC team and many other partners like us continue to pray for as they live into this role in the community. Currently, the church sees 100 attendees at services and are planning their first baptism service.

We are honored to continue partnering with and laboring for hearts, homes, families and neighborhoods with Keon and his team to see them made whole through the preaching and modeling of God’s faithful love.