Allison Agona January 20, 2014 Beat Story Assignment WARREN, OHIOLocal churches give back to the community

by serving from In the Basement. Trinity Church of Warren, Ohio teams up with other area churches every third Tuesday of the month and provides a meal for the homeless. The program is called, In the Basement, where churches provide a meal and church service to those in need. One of the local churches involved with Trinity Church is the First United Methodist Church. First United Methodist Church congregation has different groups such as the Praise Team, or the Mens Group. Each week of the dinner these groups alternate cooking the meal but all members of the First United Methodist community serve the meal to the homeless; including their pastor, Rick Oaks, and his wife, Mrs. Oaks. Nadine Zajaczkowski, a member of First United Methodist Church and member of the church choir and Praise Team said that on average we serve about 96 to 100 homeless individuals every third Tuesday. Along with a meal, these individuals are welcomed to a church service where pastors deliver a message about God, and their children enjoy a Sunday school type class where they receive their own message about God and make crafts. Zajaczkowski says Its a humbling experience for all of us and makes us appreciate what we have. You gain relationships with people that look forward to not only the meal, but your company. Zajaczkowski and her family also serve at holiday dinners at the communitys local family mission. She also said that through this experience it has brought her family closer. Zajaczkowski serves alongside her mother, father, sister, her daughters, and her two nieces, all members of the First United Methodist Church as well. The next dinner will take place Tuesday January 21, 2014, where Zajaczkowski and her family will be serving.