At LoveCanton, we believe we are called to live in these same relationships!

If you are seeking a way to becoming more INvolved, we’d love to talk with you about serving with Children’s Ministries, Student Ministries, Celebration set-up crew, Sound/Tech teams, and Worship teams. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact us at info@lovecanton.com.

You also can donate online atwww.laundrybycurrent.orgthrough Paypal by designating the donation for Laundry Love Project of Canton.

Small glimpses of community are apparent when you walk down the streets of Southeast Canton. If you spent some time here you would see that neighbors look out for each other and care about the business of the Southeast. You would see organizations like Lighthouse Ministries and Tiqvah Hands of Hope who are trying to impact kids with the love of Christ and give them an opportunity to succeed through their after school programming. You would see projects like the Community Outreach Of Love (C.O.O.L.) which brought hundreds of people together to clean up yards, build relationships and make a difference in the name of Jesus. You would see countless churches in the area, some who celebrate into the evening hours, their praise songs spilling out of their open front doors and into the street.

You would also see a red couch in Hartford Middle School, a couch that encourages conversation, community, and change; a place for students to share their stories and a place that brings hope to a school that surely needs it.

This red couch is located in Mr. George Dunwoody’s office, a staff member and community worker at Hartford Middle School. His passion for this red couch and the idea behind it is quite evident when you walk into his office.

“The red couch provided an identifiable place for students and staff to reflect, talk and seek help and encouragement. When the red coach suddenly appeared, people were intrigued by it. Once the purpose was shared, we began to see active use by the school community including students, staff, and parents,” said Hartford Middle School’s Vice Principal Andrea Ramsey.

The red couch was placed in the school through the efforts of LoveCanton. “We were very pleased to be a part of this initiative, and I will admit that I have had my share of cups of coffee in that very spot,” Ramsey said.

Hartford Middle School and the rest of the Southeast Canton community has seen its ups and downs this school year. From threats of shutting the school down to the February shooting just down the road, the future of the students residing in this part of town was and still remains uncertain.

“We are very hopeful that we will continue to see increases in student achievement during the coming year. We have put a very aggressive improvement plan in place as well as committed ourselves to working collaboratively with students, parents, and community stakeholders to support our students,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey and the rest of the Hartford staff will continue to encourage their students through college visits, career speaker days, vocal and instrumental music programs, the 21^st century after school program and an annual youth academy trip to New York.

If you walk a block down 3^rd street from Hartford you will see the remembrance of a life that was lost on February 28, 2011, in the form of a small memorial on a small front lawn. This cluster of artificial flowers is a reminder of a shooting, of violence, of death and of life. That night a 30 year old was shot and killed due to drug related activity and physical and verbal violence.

Hannah Ramsburg, program director of Lighthouse Ministries and resident of the home where the shooting took place, recalls the night that everything happened and what it meant for her and the community she invests her time in.

“Even now, though the emotions are lessened, I still feel a sense of sadness as I think about finding Rashad that night,” Ramsburg said in reference to Rashad Williams, the man who was shot and killed. “The words that come to mind as I think about his death are ‘significant’ and ‘tragic.’ A human life was lost that night and that has ramifications on both sides of eternity.”

Ramsburg also remembers the candlelight vigil that was held a few days after the shooting.

“It was amazing to see so many people come out in support of Rashad’s family and neighborhood peace at the vigil that was held in front of our house. If those people will use this tragedy as the motivation to go out and spread God’s peace and love throughout our neighborhood, the transformation will be amazing.”

This event has reinforced several things for Ramsburg personally, and for the community as a whole. Ramsburg is especially passionate about the Southeast and the young men living here. She realizes that these boys have almost every odd stacked against them. “I feel like crying when I think about one day hearing that one of my boys has been shot or is in prison. Praise God He is bigger than statistics! We have a neighborhood full of boys with potential to do great things in the kingdom of God and for their community. They are smart, strong, funny, and resilient,” she said.

The shooting only created more passion in Ramsburg to continue serving with local organizations. “It is easy for children growing up in a neighborhood like the Southeast to think that they are powerless, or that nothing good can come out of [here],” she said. “That is why it is so important to empower the local community by highlighting and supporting all that is positive. People don’t need to be ‘rescued,’ they need to be encouraged and empowered. They are the capable leaders who will continue to spread God’s peace.”

The night of the shooting, as police cars and detectives patrolled the area, Ramsburg said that she walked back into the house feeling a mixture of emotions. Picking up the Bible in hopes of finding some sort of comfort and clarity in the situation, she turned to Psalm 141.

“But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge – do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.”

Ramsburg and Ramsey both said that safety has nothing to do with location, but with the presence of God in our lives and with efforts to create a sense of community and pride in the neighborhood. God surely was and is present on 3^rd Street SE, at Hartford Middle School, in all of the surrounding after-school programs and countless churches, and in the hearts of those living in this community.

“The Southeast section of Canton has a very vibrant history as a place where businesses thrived and people had a strong sense of community and commitment to each other. Unfortunately, this is not always what we see in this area during this era, but I believe it can be reestablished,” Ramsey said.

“I believe that if we all communicate, pull together, and stay focused, things will change for the better.”

How do we forgive when we just can’t do it? Forgiveness is at the heart of what a disciple of Jesus is about. This week at celebration we are  going to focus on forgiveness that is beyond us. We will be focusing on allowing God to help us forgive and the process that it takes to do that. I can’t wait to see you and celebrate our God who has done everything to forgive us. See you Sunday morning at 11am at Trinity Lutheran (415 Tuscarawas Avenue N).

Jason