1965 – Church Community Service
In 1965, Woodland Christian Church participated in the Disciple Study and Planning Commission – a local effort to study the needs of the community, and combine resources with other churches to take action. The result was the incorporation of a group called Church Community Service.
One of their first projects was the Prall Town Parish, described as “a new adventure in Christian witness,” and directed by Craig Frederickson. There on Prall Street, Woodland volunteers joined with neighbors and other Christians to establish a Food Bank, and Clothing Bank, for members of that predominantly African American neighborhood.
The premise behind community action was that local residents, especially the poor, needed the power and tools to design and administer programs and services in their own communities. Nationally, President Lyndon Baynes Johnson launched his “Great Society” anti-poverty programs including Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, the Job Corps, Vista volunteers and Community Action Agencies, legal and community health services, and the expansion of social security benefits. Add to that list, the Civil Rights Act. Many of these efforts continue to provide vital assistance to millions of people in need throughout the country.
One of their first projects was the Prall Town Parish, described as “a new adventure in Christian witness,” and directed by Craig Frederickson. There on Prall Street, Woodland volunteers joined with neighbors and other Christians to establish a Food Bank, and Clothing Bank, for members of that predominantly African American neighborhood.
The premise behind community action was that local residents, especially the poor, needed the power and tools to design and administer programs and services in their own communities. Nationally, President Lyndon Baynes Johnson launched his “Great Society” anti-poverty programs including Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Head Start, the Job Corps, Vista volunteers and Community Action Agencies, legal and community health services, and the expansion of social security benefits. Add to that list, the Civil Rights Act. Many of these efforts continue to provide vital assistance to millions of people in need throughout the country.