KILLEEN, Texas — Churches are a major part of the North Killeen community. They’re a place to fellowship and give several resources to the community.
“Every third Friday of every month we provide 100 weekend meals for needy children at the Elementary School down the street,” said Pastor Rodney Gilchrist with Liberty Christian Center in Killeen.
Pastor Gilchrist spoke about ways his church works with the city to help meet the need.
“We’re a voting precinct for the city. We’re also a county precinct. We are also an emergency shelter for Texas and Bell County,” said Pastor Gilchrist.
Pastor Gilchrist said two major grocery stores shut down on the northside of Killeen in 2019, leaving many to rely on convenience stores.
“The prices are astronomical. when you’re on a fixed income and you have to go to one of those establishments to buy items out of convenience because you don’t have transportation to get to the other side of town it’s kind of unfair to the citizens on this side,” said Pastor Gilchrist.
Which is why many churches like Liberty have stepped up to fill the void.
“Pastor Gilchrist answered that call, so he opened up his church to be able to offer it as a warming center. Charis Community Church said he had the church we have the transportation. They have partnered with the city for transportation of our neighbors to get them to and from the facility,” said Killeen Councilwoman Jessica Gonzalez.
Pastor Gilchrist is hoping that a major supermarket returned to the north of the city, regardless he plans to continue helping those in need.
“One of the things I’ve learned in being a pastor is that most people don’t want to hear that God loves them if you don’t love them. We’ve tried to demonstrate our love of God through our outreach efforts,” said Pastor Gilchrist.
While, Councilwoman Gonzalez said that there’s several more organizations like LULAC, the Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce, and more working to help out.
