Quinn Chapel spends Saturday giving back

Fran Roark, left, is served ice cream by Kiana Owens on Saturday, July 15, 2017 at the Salvation Army Community Center in Jefferson City. Owens attends Lincoln University and also Quinn Chapel AME Church, which hosted the meal for patrons of the community center.
Fran Roark, left, is served ice cream by Kiana Owens on Saturday, July 15, 2017 at the Salvation Army Community Center in Jefferson City. Owens attends Lincoln University and also Quinn Chapel AME Church, which hosted the meal for patrons of the community center.

To honor their 167th anniversary, members of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church spent part of their Saturday evening helping those in need. Church members cooked and served dinner to residents at The Salvation Army on Jefferson Street and later led a devotion, played games and did crafts with the residents.

"We thought a day of service was the best way to celebrate our anniversary," church member Candace Williams said. "A lot of times people come and serve the meal and then leave, but we wanted to do more so we could try and give these people some hope. We also wanted them to know where we're at because we are open to all who want to come and worship."

The Rev. Cassandra Gould said church members are blessed with what they have and called the event a way to give back to the community.

"We see there is still a large economic disparity in this community," she said. "I get calls many times asking if we can help, and this was just one of the ways we could do it."