GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A historic church downtown Grand Rapids is looking to raise the roof, literally. Community fundraisers were held over the weekend to get that job done at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
Organizers put together an evening of music and bowling followed by a social event on Sunday, all with the goal of getting their roof repaired. The weekend brought in about $3,000, and now they're hoping the community can help finish the job.
The historic church has been a beacon for the local community for 100 years, said Avalon Cutts-Jones, who attends the church an is granddaughter of the late Reverend Dr. Charlie Jones. Despite the wear and tear on the old building, the church community is thriving spiritually.
"What we stand for is hanging up outside and says 'A family that prays together stays together,'" said Cutts-Jones.
The late Reverend Jones, an activist and servant of the church for 38 years, was planning on making some repairs to the church before he passed away. "One of the last projects he was working on before he got sick was getting the roof done," said Cutts-Jones. "In order to keep the doors of the church open, we need a roof."
Jones's passing sparked the church to raise $40,000 for the roof, a goal spearheaded by the church and their Young Gents program. Kameron Green, director of Young Gents, said the youth mentoring organization has been working hard alongside the church to make this new roof a reality.
"It's all about teaching them to help without expecting anything in return," said Green.
In a little over a year, the church has raised almost $16,000. The church is hoping to raise the remainder of the $40,000 by the end of September. A Gofundme account has been created for people to give. If you don't have money to give, church officials said you can always donate supplies, or even your time.
