Rochester pastors addressed the surge in violent crimes

Rochester, New York – Monday at First Genesis Baptist Church on Hudson Ave, a group of local pastors addressed the surge in violent crimes.

The idea is to connect the community with organizations and services to get families back into the church.

In order to link people to mental health and counseling resources, a group of 30 pastors will be joined by community activists and anti-violence leaders during these prayers meetings.

“We want to begin and continue to pray, in meaningful ways, in a visible way, outside of the church house. On the corner, interacting with people as the Lord determines for that,” said Fred Johnson of First Genesis Baptists Church.

According to Isaiah Santiago, senior at the School of the Arts, church leaders can make a difference. “Mentorship is one of the most important things. A lot of people in our community are missing the mentorship of a father or a mother. There is no better place for mentorship than inside of a church,” Santiago said.

The list of prayer services can be found below.

Tuesday, Nov. 16th – First Genesis Baptist (FGBC), prayer rally on the corner of Hudson and Upper Falls at 5 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 18th – New Life Fellowship Church, prayer rally on the corner of Arnett and Wellington Ave at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20th – Glory House International (GHI), prayer rally outside the church parking lot, at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 21st – Aenon Missionary Baptist Church, prayer rally outside Bulls Head Plaza at 8-8:30 a.m.

Monday, Nov. 22nd – Greater Harvest Church, at 5 p.m. prayer rally outside church parking lot.

Tuesday, Nov. 23rd – River of Life Community Church at 5 p.m. prayer rally, outside church parking lot.