Jessica and her husband, Joshua, serve in Danville, Virginia, where 38 percent of children live below the poverty line, nearly three times the average for the state. One in five people in Danville lives with food insecurity. Jessica and Joshua serve with and through Grace and Main Fellowship, an intentional, ecumenical Christian community devoted to hospitality, simplicity, prayer, nonviolent action, and grassroots community development. The foundation of their ministry is simple: building relationships and community.
Grace and Main ministers with and among people in Danville who are experiencing homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, and food and housing insecurity. They do this in a variety of ways, including:
• Hospitality houses: a network of houses that provide shelter, food, prayer, and rest to those experiencing homelessness, hunger, poverty, and addiction.
• Community meals: several dozen family-style meals every year at a variety of locations.
• Urban Farm: a community growing space to combat hunger.
• Tool Library: helping people maintain their own homes or earn extra income through side work.
• Community development: working with churches and local organizations for positive change.