The Mt. Bethel Human Services Corporation continues addressing the needs of the community, one family at a time

Mount Bethel Walk
Mount Bethel Walk

The Mt. Bethel Human Services Corporation continues addressing the needs of the community, one family at a time

By Charles Moseley

     Civil rights leader and Baptist preacher Rev. Jesse Jackson once said, “When white America catches a cold, Black America has pneumonia.” In light of the poor state of the nation’s economy, many people who were near or at poverty levels have seen their lives devastated even further in recent years. Fortunately for some local residents, there is a church organization located right in the heart of one of Broward County’s hardest hit communities which offers outreach services to those most in need, right in their own neighborhood.

    Now the church organization which has helped so many people over the years finds itself fighting for survival due to cut-backs from traditional sources that have helped sustain their community outreach programs which Mt. Bethel’s Human Services Corporation (MBHSC) has done over the years.

    “We’ve done so much with so little over these past 19 years until those in power seem to think we can do anything with nothing! Yet there comes a time when one must say, we’ve fought the good fight… for us that time is rapidly approaching unless you intervene. Recently, we received some devastating news from one of our major funders: they were no longer funding our Family Reunification program due to budgetary restraints. That particular program helped reunify young mothers with their children who had been placed in foster care or in extreme cases had been recommended for termination of parental rights,” said MBHSC Executive Director, Rosby Glover.

    “People, at a time when we are declaring that banks are too big to fail so we pour millions of dollars in their coffers, maybe it’s time to say community agencies like Mount Bethel Human Services are too valuable to fail because the work that they do is too vital to the community and begin to invest in their coffers so that they can survive and continue to provide hope to the hopeless. Simply put, after 19 years of helping others, we need your help in order to continue the quality services we’ve provided to this community over the past 19 years.

    “The Mount Bethel Human Services Corporation, Inc. (MBHSC) is a 501 (c) (3), non-profit, faith-based organization which was birthed out of Mount Bethel Ministries over 19 years ago as the social service arm of the church. Founded upon Matthew 25:40, where Jesus said, “In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me!” Hence, our mantra is of being an agency who takes care of the least, the lost and the left-out! Initially organized to address the issues of minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system, MBHSC has expanded to respond to issues of family intervention, Child Care Assistance, Emergency Food, parenting, family strengthening and neighborhood empowerment,” said Glover.

    The MBHSC began in 1993 under the spiritual leadership of Dr. C.E. Glover, pastor of Mt. Bethel Baptist Church. Over the years, MBHSC has become one of the most active community outreach organizations in the area. Dr. Glover has had a personal commitment toward this cause and sees the church playing a special role, not only addressing the spiritual needs of the community but also the socio-economic needs of the community as well. The majority of their programs are located in the 33311 zip code where the population is overwhelmingly African-American. MBHSC’s intent is to ensure that this culturally rich community has the tools necessary to understand the dynamics of a stable family unit and the importance of keeping it intact.

    “I believe the African American Church should continue its focus on spiritual, social and civil rights issues. However, I also believe we should be at the forefront of Economic Empowerment, Community Development and Education. Economic Empowerment or the lack thereof is, in my estimation, the new civil rights issue. Jeremiah 29:5 is one of my favorite scriptures, ‘Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat from the fruit it produces…’ In other words, build an economic system that will sustain you even in an oppressive society. God did not want His children, even in Babylonian captivity, to have to totally depend upon their captors for their survival. I believe it is necessary for the AA Church to continue being priestly, prophetic and powerful in its work of liberation (Luke 4:18),” said Dr. C.E. Glover.

    Rosby Glover, who just happens to be the brother of Mt. Bethel’s spiritual leader Dr. C.E. Glover, has witnessed firsthand the socio-economic devastation and the plight of families who have been hardest hit during these harsh economic times. Although many qualify for local, state, and federal assistance, there are those who often fall between the cracks in the system. That’s when MBHSC often is able to step in and fill in the gap where necessary.

 

About Carma Henry 24363 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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