When serving God at work means literally getting into the trenches with those in most need of a shepherd, the staff of BLOC Ministries immediately come to mind. BLOC is an inner-city ministry founded in 1998 on the west side of Cincinnati whose branches have now spread to other neighborhoods and even other states. They serve their communities through several programs, including working with at risk youth, providing programs for women in sex trafficking, food pantries and soup kitchens, and much, much more. Their programs are a support system within neighborhoods to help people thrive and find Jesus in the process.
November’s Hometown Hero focuses on one member of the BLOC Ministries team: Chris Staser. Chris’s background is as far from the inner city as anyone could imagine. He says, “I’m from small town Indiana, a town you’ve never heard of: Greenville, Indiana. I somewhat grew up in the church. But, when I was later in high school, I was introduced to Jesus. Then I was a first generation college student who came to Cincinnati Christian University: I was one of the first ones in my family to ever leave (Indiana)”.
While at college, Chris began to seek a deeper meaning for his life. He states: “when I was there, I would be sitting in a class going, there’s got to be something more to life than just going to class. So I was introduced to BLOC, and I thought, ‘I’ll come volunteer and serve and help kids’. That was right up my alley. From there is just really snowballed and that’s where I’ve been the last fifteen years.”
One way that BLOC is unique is that the staff lives in the neighborhoods where they serve. By being present, they are able to build trust with their neighbors and become involved in practical ways: literally being the hands and feet of Jesus. As they like to say “neighborhood needs don’t go away at 5 p.m.” For Chris, working where he lives feels like a natural integration of faith and work. He says: “I grew up in a home with really hard working blue collar parents. And so I think there’s so much value and so much meaning in work. I also had an angst with the church or the ministry because they are not a business. But I don’t there’s a huge divide between secular and sacred for me. It’s just like: this is life. And Jesus has something to say about all of life. I found a place where we are able to mix economic opportunities and social entrepreneurship as well as ministry. I’ve always been really proud of our team that we’re in the world, but not of it. We can speak a language to the everyday people in any context, and yet not give up on what our values are.”
This integration into the neighborhood became very real to Chris and his wife on Christmas Day in 2013 when a child showed up unexpectedly on their front stoop. Chris tells the story: “my wife had started a house for women that were in sex trafficking. It’s called Weightless Anchor. Through this and other initiatives, we had established some pretty good relationships with the women in the neighborhood. We’ve been married for not even two months, we’re newlyweds, and we were parents overnight. We were traveling for the holidays and now we have a baby. We have nothing; we’re not prepared. But I remembered the story of Daniel, where it goes to who is in charge. His full trust is in what God has for him. Three years later when we adopted our son, we gave him the middle name of Daniel because his story was so impactful.”
Do we sit back or do we serve? Chris’s story is a testimony of what happens when we go ‘all in’ and say yes to God. May we all follow his example, and we might actually change the world.
