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Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chicago church seeks help replacing ‘collapsing, deteriorating' roof
CHICAGO (WGN) — An Austin neighborhood church that's fed the homeless and seniors, offered disaster relief assistance, and that has paid the rent of struggling Chicagoans is now hoping the community will come through as it faces a critical infrastructure challenge. The aging roof at New Inspirational Baptist Church, on the 5800 block of West Division Street, has exceeded its lifespan and is beyond temporary repairs, the church says. 'I never thought that I would become in the need,' Rev. Andrew Griffin, the church's founding and sole pastor of more than 40 years, told WGN on Wednesday. Griffin said contractors have done all they can with patchwork fixes on the structure, but it's 'getting worse, collapsing, deteriorating our fire walls,' he said. A contractor working with the church confirmed to WGN the total cost to replace the roof would be at least $55,000. 'I want to be there, I want to be able to open our doors, especially for the needy,' Griffin said. The church for decades has offered spiritual guidance, financial assistance and emotional counseling to those in need. It has also served as a longtime polling location. Area pastors are rallying around the church in hopes of helping raise the money it needs to continue its mission. 'Pastor Griffin has been a rock for this community, helping people in ways that go far beyond the pulpit,' said Rev. Johnny L. Miller of Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Rev. Ira Acree, the founder of the Leaders Network and a social justice advocate said Griffin has helped 'thousands' of people. 'It's ministers like Reverand Andrew Griffin that many people don't see their names in the headlines or on television or the newspaper, but it's ministers like this that are saving our community,' Acree said. 'He doesn't have a mega church, but he has made a mega impact. This man has helped hundreds, maybe thousands.' After a 2023 tornado left behind a trail of destruction in Mississippi, church leaders along with the community rallied to respond, hauling several trucks packed with supplies to help survivors with food, water and other necessities. Griffin, his wife, and other members of the church went down to Rolling Fork to help hand deliver the supplies. 'It's not always about preaching the gospel with words, but living it with your walk, like he's lived it out in the Austin community for 40 to 45 years easily,' Acree said. The church at the corner of West Division Street and North Monitor Avenue has been a space for youth to find mentorship and guidance over the years, area pastors said. 'He put a lot of interest in the young people in this neighborhood, gave a lot of young people jobs, trained a lot of young people, gave them feeding for a new life,' said Rev. Freddie Brooks with Union Star Missionary Baptist Church. Even with a slower stride after a spinal surgery, Griffin said he's putting one foot in front of the other as they navigate what comes next. 'My faith is in God, and I believe that god has already provided a way,' he said. Donations to help the church continue its mission can be made in-person during the church's operating hours or via checks made payable to New Inspirational Baptist Church at 5825 W. Division Street in Chicago, 60651. An online fundraiser has also been established. The church said its membership has declined since the pandemic, leaving them unable to raise the funds among the congregation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jesse Jackson Jr. seeks pardon for himself, millions of others
CHICAGO — A day after former Governor Rod Blagojevich received a presidential pardon, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is calling for millions more. Jackson Jr. addressed the public Tuesday during the faith and community 'Leaders Network' monthly meeting on the city's West Side. Jackson Jr. served 17 years in Congress and resigned in 2012 amid a criminal investigation. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud his re-election campaign. On Tuesday, he discussed how he aggressively campaigned for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and how he could not vote due to his 2013 conviction for campaign fraud. President Trump pardons former Governor Rod Blagojevich After Harris' defeat in November, Jackson Jr. along with his father, Jesse Jackson Sr., appealed to then-President Joe Biden for a pardon for himself and the 77 million people who, he says, are currently marginalized from voting — and excluded from numerous employment opportunities. This all comes after Blagojevich was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Monday. The former governor has maintained his stance on never breaking any laws. 'There's 70 million men and women in our nation who have paid their debt to society in full. Don't owe America nothing else. Have never reoffended. It's time to demand an emancipation proclamation for them,' Jackson Jr said Tuesday. Jackson Jr. contends that if those 77 million people were pardoned, they would owe their allegiance to Trump and the Republican party. Jackson Jr. also mentioned the letter that he and his father wrote back in 2019, calling on Trump to pardon Blagojevich. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
