The vision for Hope For Renewal
was born out of community service days starting back in 2012. A group of volunteers from Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church served in the Glenwood Corridor and Idora neighborhood, cleaning the neighborhood and serving residents according to their needs. After several years of this, it became clear in 2014 that there needed to be a more permanent presence of service in the neighborhood. Pastor Gary Koerth, and his wife Cindy, had been heavily involved in ministering to the area up to that point and, after much prayer, chose to lead this charge. They moved to the Southside and started what is now Hope For Renewal.
From the beginning, they knew that this ministry needed to break the traditional church mold by focusing on meeting the needs of the community. Thus, we made it our mission to serve, build relationships, and share the love of Christ in tangible ways. This happens through our Community Worship Ministry, Community Outreach Ministry, and Community Outreach Center - Glenwood Grounds Cafe. Each branch of our ministry seeks to renew hope in our neighborhood, an area of Youngstown that has suffered hardships resulting in poverty, violence, and deteriorating conditions.
From the beginning, they knew that this ministry needed to break the traditional church mold by focusing on meeting the needs of the community. Thus, we made it our mission to serve, build relationships, and share the love of Christ in tangible ways. This happens through our Community Worship Ministry, Community Outreach Ministry, and Community Outreach Center - Glenwood Grounds Cafe. Each branch of our ministry seeks to renew hope in our neighborhood, an area of Youngstown that has suffered hardships resulting in poverty, violence, and deteriorating conditions.
The three branches of our ministry were born out of clearly identified community needs. One of the most obvious needs of the neighborhood was a safe gathering place, or 'third space,' that was easily accessible by foot and public transportation. Thus began the journey to opening Glenwood Grounds Cafe, Hope For Renewal's community outreach center. After several years of renovating an old building, Glenwood Grounds Cafe opened in 2021. This volunteer-run Cafe provides quality food at subsidized prices, making tasty and nutritious food accessible in a neighborhood with limited fresh food access. Additionally, we use our Outreach Center for specific needs and events, such as:
- Serving free community dinners in the wake of the 2025 Government shutdown and delayed SNAP/EBT benefits.
- Hosting specialized recognition events, like Veterans Appreciation Lunches, serving Veterans a free lunch.
- Facilitating coat, clothing, and food drives and distributions.
- Serving free community dinners in the wake of the 2025 Government shutdown and delayed SNAP/EBT benefits.
- Hosting specialized recognition events, like Veterans Appreciation Lunches, serving Veterans a free lunch.
- Facilitating coat, clothing, and food drives and distributions.
During the years of renovation building our community center, Hope For Renewal's Worshipping Community began growing out of Gary and Cindy's house. Our Worshipping Community exists to provide spiritual support to our neighborhood through prayer, encouragement, and counsel as our community navigates many hard realities like addiction, violence, poverty, inequitable access to care and resources, etc. Our Worshipping Community meets in our Community Center, providing the same accessibility to spiritual care as we do physical care. In addition to our weekly subsidized menu at our Community Center, we also serve a free lunch every Sunday after church. This lunch is open to our congregation and anyone from the neighborhood who comes in.
Alongside the Worshipping Community and development of Glenwood Grounds Cafe, our Community Outreach took form. It began with our Community Playground Picnics back in August of 2017. Our first picnic started with the simple act of Pastor Gary and Cindy pulling up to the playground in their small car with a grill and a cooler with 24 hotdogs. They served a group of 15 teenagers who were there to play basketball. The teens came up to the table and said, "what are you doing here?" The answer was that they were there to grill hot dogs and wanted to share them. They served all 15 of those young teens while asking them their names and greeting them. Pastor Gary and Cindy came back again the next week, and have continued to come back every summer since. Over the years since that early picnic start, our Community Outreach has expanded to include programs such as Easter and Thanksgiving Food Drives, partnership with Holy Hallelujah, and other service throughout the neighborhood.