ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an innovative social service program in an African American church in Kansas City, Missouri. The program is innovative in that it uses the informal structure of the natural environment of church-member relationships as the mechanism of response to service needs. The significance of the church can be attributed to its position as one of the few institutions within the African American community that is built, financed, and controlled primarily by Blacks. It is generally agreed that the church has a prominent place in African American culture and has had an impact upon virtually every aspect of Black American life. The church is central to the experience of being Black in the United States. The Black church in the United States is a particularly relevant resource for change because of its rich heritage as a focal point for community activity.
