Operated by God, administered by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
Inner Circle Ministries Outreach and Deliverance Church offers a unique brand of worship within a family focused atmosphere. While the teachings of co-pastors Cora Brooks and Karen Jethroe focus on practical application of Christian principles, Inner Circle has grown to provide a myriad of services for the community. From inmates to single mothers, there is no person they intend to leave untouched with their unique mix of Biblical application and down home family love.
“Our members are men and women from every walk of life,” Jethroe said. “Some are from prison, others have recovered from drug or alcohol addiction and are now pillars of the church.
“We’re a family church,”she said and added that their congregation represents everyone, “from college educated to high school drop out and we all work together as a family.”
Jethroe says she first met co-pastor Cora Brooks in the early 70s and the two had a “divine connection”. They joined forces and started Inner Circle Ministries in 1978 as a home based bible study in East St. Louis. In the early 90s, the ministry branched out to reach people they considered had fallen through the “religious cracks” like inmates and developed a successful curriculum for living, Achieving the Christian Lifestyle, to reach them.
“My mission and purpose is to teach people how to walk in the character of christ,” Brooks said. “My goal is to get people to understand that there is an answer to every problem in the Bible.”
Through, Prison and Beyond they meet with about 20 inmates and even help them find work upon release. In fact, at their upcoming September revival, a former member of the prison ministry will be a featured speaker.
Inner Circle offers a similar outreach for single mothers and through the program they have secured food and clothing for women and provided for other family neccessities. Each year Inner Circle chooses one single mother and provides support for her family throughout the year.
The church has been at its current location, 2901 West Main, in Belleville for almost 3 years. With nearly 75 members, Inner Circle is constantly seeking to add to their church family.
Recently Inner Circle hosted a Youth Jam Fest where they welcomed families and children from the community to enjoy a day of games, fun, food, face painting and even comedy by Dennis Jethroe from the gospel play Be Careful What You Pray For.
“This is part of our evangelistic outreach to the community to let people know who we are and give people in the community something fun to do and let them meet us on common ground,” Jethroe said.
Pastor Cora Brooks feels that a church with two women at the head has the opportunity to provide a sense of balance for the congregation and for each other.
“One thing that is beneficial is that we can bounce off of each others mood swings,” she said. “When I’m up, she can bounce off of me and vice versa.” She also that being women, the congregation seems more open when it comes to seeking help with personal problems.
“It makes us much more approachable. Females are more willing to explain their problems to us. They also feel more comfortable getting counsel from us,” Brooks said.
“She’s the teacher and I’m the preacher,” Jethroe said of their tag team approach to the gospel. “We pastor together and as women we teach practical application of the word of God. We’re not about denominations. We teach people to live saved at home, work, ow to apply it to paying your bills. That’s what we’re about.”
Inner Circle Ministries Outreach and Deliverance Church is located at 2901 West Main Street in Belleville, IL. For more informaton call 618-222-0821 or visit www.icministries.com.
