WEIRTON, W.VA. (10/18/16)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has presented a $60,000 One Great Hour of Sharing Domestic Development Grant to Weirton (W.Va.) Christian Center. The presentation was made at the center today by Victoria Goff, ABHMS’ national coordinator of Volunteer Mobilization and Disaster Response Ministries.

The center has been serving families in the Weirton area since 1917, when 13,000 immigrants came to work at Weirton Steel. For the last three decades, the center has provided preschool and after-school programs. Today, the steel mill employs less than 800 people; high-income jobs have been replaced with minimum-wage jobs in the gaming industry. In addition, the city is situated between two counties known for high rates of heroin overdose.

To better accommodate the approximately 300 children from struggling families that it serves yearly, the center is constructing a large building with a USDA-approved kitchen. While the center currently provides a healthy snack after school and dinner five days weekly, the plan is to add lunch for the preschool program and to provide at least one meal on weekends.

Weirton Christian Center is one of ABHMS’ 16 Neighborhood Action Program (NAP) Christian centers. For more information about NAP centers, visit www.abhms.org > Ministries > Neighborhood Action Program Christian Centers.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on leadership, discipleship and healing communities.

 American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA. The committee facilitates American Baptist emergency relief, disaster rehabilitation, refugee work and development assistance by establishing policy guidelines and overseeing distribution of the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering received by churches. Learn more at http://www.abc-oghs.org/.