Inner-city church hopes to shake things up
WINNIPEG, MB—Jim and Jacqie Wiseman say they've seen the crime rate among youth in Winnipeg's inner city escalate over the last few years—and they're getting tired of it.
"A lot of young people in the inner city are totally bored. They're looking for excitement. They want to go to camp or something, but they can't afford it. So they get into things that are criminal," says Jim.
"Whether it's stealing a car or throwing rocks through somebody's window, they want something that's distinctively their own and exciting."
As a response, the local pastor couple started Walls of Freedom—a highly relational outreach concept church—in the spring of 2007.
Working out of two rented freight-house and school spaces, the church runs weekly craft programs, gym nights, community events, prison visitations, a fathering program and mentoring initiatives.
In addition, the church helps those needing furniture, clothing, financial assistance or anything else they may not have access to.
"We do church outside the normal Sunday morning coffee-in-the-foyer-shake-hands type format," says Jim.
"Our way of doing church is very relational. The first thing we do with people attending our programs is get their address and put them on our visitation list."
That visitation list currently edges on 500 families and youth that receive regular house—or prison—visits and are prayed for every week.
Challenging work
Working with at-risk youth can have its challenges, says Jim.
Many of the kids that Walls of Freedom works with struggle with mental illness, addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or are involved in some kind of abusive relationship.
That's why every program the church runs is based on equal parts instruction and relationship building, tailor fitted to suit the needs of the youth.
"Some churches don't know how to relate to youth with these very specific problems," says Jim.
"But there's such an incredible need; we want to shake up churches. The inner city is going to get worse if we don't address the problems. The church as a whole needs to step up to the plate and realize that church life in the inner city needs to be improved."
Walls of Freedom currently networks with seven other churches and a small crew of volunteers—but they're looking for more help from individuals and churches to sustain their vision for the needy neighbourhoods.
"We would like to see church life grow to another level. We'd like to see people of the inner city embraced," says Jim. "We've got to start loving these people."
Currently the church is looking to purchase its own building and hoping to start an addictions recovery program in the fall.
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