By Dawn Scotland
Sojourner’s Truth Reporter
Pastor Jerry Boose is the spiritual head of Second Baptist Church located on 9300 Maumee Western Rd., Monclova, OH. In March he will have served as senior pastor for 14 years with the help of his wife, First Lady Debra Boose. Under his stewardship the church itself has grown in ministry, community outreach and partnerships.
Second Baptist has also operated a large outreach facility just minutes down the road in Holland, OH.
Agape Second Chance Corporation has been operated by the church for the past eight years serving Spencer Township. It’s located in Holland 225 S. Irwin Rd. across the street from the old Spencer Sharples High School.
The 10-acre land, that features a 65,000 sq ft building, was donated by the Lucas County Commissioners to Second Baptist. Formerly Irwin Park, the massive space has a baseball diamond, basketball court, playground, offices spaces and full computer lab.
“[The] County Commissioners got wind of what we were doing and they had this land they had no use for so they gifted the church the 10 acres of land. They basically gave it to us,” said Boose.
One stipulation was that the church serve the community with the land, and the church does just that.
Agape Second Chance Corporation hosts weekly services for the community:
- A full operating health clinic (partnered with Neighborhood Health Association)
Monday – Thursday 8:30-4:30 p.m.
- A free food giveaway (partnered with Food for Thought)
The last Friday of every month 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. (participants must bring ID)
- Pathway, Inc. hosts a satellite office on location
Every Wednesday noon – 4 p.m.
You don’t need to be a resident of Spencer Township to participate. The services offered by Second Baptist and Agape Second Chance are open to everyone.
Prior to the pandemic, the organization also hosted a homework assistance program between 4-6 p.m. grades five through 12. Students were fed through Connecting Kids to Meals and Toledo Public Schools children were bused from the city and back. During the pandemic that initiative has been halted. Pastor Boose plans for the homework assistance program to continue in person when restrictions allow.
Boose also has big plans for the future: to build a new structure.
“Our plan is to partnership with the County Commissioners and the Port Authority because we want to build a new structure [Life Center],” said Boose.
The new structure will include more partnerships with area organizations. “We’re in conversation with the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union because we want to bring banking to that community… Suzette Cowell has already agreed to be a part of the project.”
“That will give almost a full service to that community [Spencer Township],” says Boose.
He emphasizes that Holland area represents a strong need. “We focus on mainly the Spencer Township area (Holland, Ohio)… because it is a low income area.” Boose says that the area is a mix of habitat housing, public housing and homes built by residents themselves.
The focus in 2022 for Pastor Boose is expanding the outreach and growing partnerships further. Boose plans to achieve the initiative within the next two years with increased partnership with the Neighborhood Health Association, Pathway, Inc., Connecting Kids to Meals, an LMHA satellite office, and Area Office on Aging office to offer services to seniors. “This [expansion] will also focus on some of the townships around Spencer Township: Swanton, Whitehouse, Monclova, Holland so that it will be something that will be utilized from everybody in the vicinity,” said Boose.
In addition to Second Baptist and Agape Second Chance, Pastor Boose serves as the Midwest Regional Overseer of Kingdom Density Fellowship International. An international organization that is a fellowship that focuses on pastors– working with them and strengthening them. He oversees five states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. They are open to fellowshipping with new pastors.
Every summer the church hosts an annual Golf Fundraiser: the EP (‘Empowering People’) Legacy Golf Scramble. This year the proceeds will go to Boys and Girls Club, Connecting Kids to Meals and the Jerry Boose Scholarship Fund that awards scholarships to those graduating from high school. Pastor Boose is a board member of the Toledo Urban Federal Credit Union, LMHA (LMHSC), Neighborhood Heath Association, Toledo Firefighters Health Plan and NAACP.
For more information visit SecondBaptistChurchOH.org and Agape Second Chance Foundation (@aagapesccorp) on Facebook.
To get involved or partner with initiatives call Second Baptist Church 419-867-0903 or reach out to Pastor Boose directly at 419-320-5206.
Sunday services are in-person at the church located at 9300 Maumee Western Rd. at 10:45 a.m.
Outreach space and church gym are available for rent.