“It’s my first time in a church in 14 years,” Zach Parker said on his first Sunday at Rome (New York) Alliance Church. He grew up in a military family, so they moved around too much to ever get settled in a church.
As head manager of the Marco’s Pizza in Rome, Zach is in charge of hiring. Not long before he visited the church, he participated in Rome Community Job Fairs, a nonprofit run by Pastor Bryce Baldwin and many congregants of Rome Alliance Church.
Zach found two great employees from the fair, and one of them was Brian, a youth leader at the church. Zach had recently moved to Rome, so Brian invited him to the church. “The way Brian presented himself magnetized me to this community,” Zach said. Because of his experience with the job fairs and his friendship with Brian, Zach accepted the invitation.
Zach felt so welcomed by the congregation at Rome that he has since started helping at Rome Rescue Mission with many other members every second Sunday. He also provides pizza for the employers and volunteers at each job fair.
A Missional Mindset
Zach isn’t the only one who has been affected by God’s work through Rome Alliance Church. Since Bryce began operating Rome Community Job Fairs out of the church two years ago, the members have conducted eight fairs, partnered with 82 organizations and employers, and served a total of 1,100 people.
“This is local missions. Ultimately it comes down to the relationships,” Bryce says. “It’s not just about the job fair. It’s about loving people.”
Volunteers from Rome Alliance Church stand at the front door to guide applicants to the right job. An application room is set up where people receive help creating résumés and filling out applications. Once the nonprofit partnered with a print shop so people could make free copies of their résumés.
The employers are cared for as well. At one of the most recent job fairs, Bryce asked the employers if he could pray for them. They agreed, and Bryce began their time with a moment of prayer for the right people to arrive for the positions these companies needed to fill.
Relationships Formed
“Everything we do is relational. Why? Because we have a relational God,” Bryce says. “We’re using Rome Community Job Fairs as our vehicle to love and share the gospel with people.”
The volunteers at each fair are congregants of Rome Alliance Church, giving them a unique way to minister to the community through relationships with the employers and job seekers. Rome Community Job Fairs has also partnered with other churches to reach as many people as possible. One of these congregations has enlisted the nonprofit’s help to host a job fair for ex-offenders.
These relationships have given the volunteers the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the community. Though not a Christian, one woman started coming to the church. When she attended a small group, she asked, “Does your denomination make you love people like you do?”
“No, they don’t,” Bryce replied. “This is just who we believe Jesus to be.”