Reaching Beyond the Pulpit
“A lot has changed,” the pastor said as he thought about his younger years. He cited differences in environments, household structures, and mentalities that have made distinctions between those years and the present. Timothy Pettaway pastors Walk the Word Ministry. He believes ministry is the pathway to changing the community, a calling that brings many challenges and unending work. “My main work is ministry in the church, but I’ve done quite the share of funerals for those who have died by gun violence,” Pettaway said. It’s an issue he sees entrenched in the community, with the rates of violence grounded in poverty, inadequate education, and fragmented family structures. “It’s a different culture we’re dealing with now.” Pettaway recalls growing up in Toledo and, for most of his childhood and teenage years, not hearing much about gang activity in the area. “Now you hear about it all the time,” he said. “Many of these kids don’t have consistent or healthy relationships with their parents, so they’re considering gangs as their families.” He believes the heavy presence of drug and alcohol use often aids in
initial acts of violence and instigates predispositions to related mentalities.
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