MILFORD — Word of Truth Ministries will hold a community outreach celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 20, in the grassy lot on the north side of the Dollar General store in Milford.

The Rev. Michael Kelley, pastor of Word of Truth Ministries in Milford, poses with the Milford Lions sign inviting the public to the church’s outreach event on Saturday, July 20. (Photo by Ray Balogh)

“We are going to have activities for the children like a bouncy house and yard games and we will have cornhole,” said Michael Kelley, the church’s pastor. “We are going to hold free raffles for some giveaways. We’ll serve hot dogs, chips and lemonade.”

The event is free to the public, but the church will accept freewill donations.

The outreach will include music by Teen/Adult Challenge of Northern Indiana and presentations by Ray Steadman Jr. and Tim Trump.

“They are going to give testimony how Teen Challenge helped them,” said Kelley. “Both of them have a very fiery testimony of their lives before and after.”

Steadman currently pastors a church in Syracuse. “As a teenager he got himself in some difficulties and was given the option of Teen Challenge or jail,” said Kelley. “He chose Teen Challenge and now is a chaplain with local law enforcement and the jail.”

Trump “got introduced to alcohol and drugs from a very young age and that type of lifestyle spiraled lower and lower,” Kelley said. “He is going through the program and now assists Celebrate Recovery in Warsaw. He is the humblest man you will meet in your life.

“He lost everything — his wife, children and job — and said all he had left was a hope of faith in God. He is 4 1/2 years clean and is just now beginning to break into his own ministry of sharing his testimony. He has come a long, long way.

“Both are going to give a testimony of what can happen. Some members of the praise team will give their testimonies what Teen Challenge is doing for them right now as residents in the program. Teen Challenge teaches them to use their best as footsteps for others to find their new course in life.”

Kelley said one goal of the event is to “offer an opportunity to others in our community who are struggling with addictions, whether it is drugs, alcohol, anxiety or other in the huge list of things that really bind people’s lives.

“We invite the community to come and join in and just hear the options that are available to anyone who is struggling. We hope it can be a tool for those who are not struggling to have tools to be able to share.

“Our hope is to strengthen the community,” he said. “Milford with all its strengths still has hidden troubles.”

Churches are also invited to the outreach. “We ask pastors to inform their congregations and invite them to drop by and enjoy the day. This can be an opportunity for potential of growth, not just for Word of Truth, but for other congregations in the community.”

Kelley also wants to encourage people to see their own success. “Success is not always in receiving the expected outcome but seeing the continued steps that will lead to that outcome,” he said.

Steadman will also minister at Word of Truth’s 10 a.m. Sunday service on July 21. The church is located at 210 E. Catherine, Milford.

For more information about the church or the event, call (574) 360-7050.

To find out more about Teen Challenge, contact Andy Collins at (574) 226-0789 or [email protected].