So often we harp on the young people who sit at various locations around the Island without reaching out to them to hear how they feel about the world in which they live.

Most of us are so caught up in what it is we feel those individuals are doing wrong that we cease looking at them as human beings and do not stop to think what we may be able to do for them. These are the sentiments of Rev. J. Alton Thompson pastor of Community Contact Ministry, a non-denominational Christian church that formed two and half years ago to address the needs of the those people greater society usually frowns upon.

"People have to be held as number one and we must not play up too much what they are doing. The emphasis must be on the person, not on what they are doing. I think most times people are not too sure whether we care about them. We talk about what they do but we don't really lift them up and let them know that they are the important person in this situation," Rev. Thompson explained.

"My personal feeling is that it's easy to judge people but I tend to feel that we need to be a bit more merciful and compassionate to the plight of people - not just young people - but all people who find themselves in a situation where they don't think that they count."

Originally a spin off from a similar work Rev. Thompson did in the late sixties and early seventies, the church is particularly interested in reaching out to those in the community where the church is now located - in the heart of White Wall crew territory on Curving Avenue, Pembroke.

In the 1960s Thompson - who served as pastor of Bethel AME church for 18 years - ran a youth shelter from the Craig Appin House, formerly the Argus Building, on Wesley street which was funded by friends and businesses in the community. Wayward youth could stay at a four-bedroom house for around six to ten months until they could "take care of themselves".

The undertaking fizzled in the early seventies but sparked the launch of Community Contact Ministry whose members would initially go into clubs, parks and wherever people gathered to reach people.

Over a year ago the church made its home at St. Augustine's Church, Smith's Hill Road, which is around the corner from Curving Avenue.

Rev. Thompson said: "Recently we thought about community contact ministry because we realised that there was trouble in many of our communities and that we probably had to do something - our way of reaching out - and that's the reason for going into various locations and this particular area because of the challenges we find there.

"The White Wall area is a very challenging area because of the drug situation there and it's also a very troubled area for young people who don't have a sense of belonging, feel left out and tend to believe that their goals are not achievable."

People in the nearby community are encouraged to attend weekly services and consultations and to take advantage of the 25 loyal members who make themselves available to those who will come in and seek fellowship.

And while it seems that it would be difficult for the older members to reach these people who seem to live in a completely different world, Rev. Thomspon indicated that it can be quite simple.

"If you are a person who is willing to listen, a lot of times these folks will approach you....Some will even ask if we would pray for them and this would be like five, 6.30 in the morning. Or they would come and ask questions about something. So I find that in most cases depending on your general attitude and demeanour they are not afraid to approach you."

Anyone who walks through the door is met with open arms, otherwise the doors would be closed Rev. Thompson explained.

He added: "Every now and then one will come in and if they don't come into the service they will come during the daytime (to weekday consultations) and of course some do come to the services to visit and we get a chance to interact with them.

"We try to help people not to feel too badly about an experience because no matter how bad it is a lot of good can come of it and it usually does."

While he admits that many things have changed in society, what has stayed the same is God's requirement for his children - that they heal those who need help. "We should be like Jesus. In other words not just to see the situation and feel it by putting yourself in somebody else's position but do something about it. The job is not complete until we have actually done something tangible to ameliorate a lot of these things that are going on.

"I think that in the last century there was a lot of injustices and unfairness amongst a lot of people but I think if we practice what the Bible teaches we can illuminate a lot of that violence and bitterness that is found in our communities even now."

While everyday is about reaching out to those young men and women who frequent the area, next Sunday, August 5, will mark the first official community day geared to attracting those young people. Entitled "On the move in the Spiritual Groove" two services at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. will highlight the church's involvement in the community so that other people can join forces with the members. Midnight services will also be held on Friday and Saturday.

The area should be littered with flyers and invitations soon to advertise inspirational music and two special speakers on tab for the day who have no religious credentials but plenty of life experience.

Human Resource Director at the Marketplace Albertha Waite and owner of Dorothy's Coffee shop Dorothy Middleton will speak on healing those who need help.

"I could have asked a lot of my preacher friends. There are lots of outstanding speakers that I know of and ministers that I know of that speak for me sometimes but for this particular occasion I decided to use lay people. "I feel we have chose to very appropriate people for this situation because they are very familiar with the area where we work right now plus they are out in the work-a-day world and have all kinds of experiences encountering all kinds of people both young and old and they themselves know what it is to turn their lives around and they are just common, ordinary people that folk from that area know."

"They have come up from the ranks from the bottom and went up to the top...They are able to not preach but just to talk out of their experience and indicate what can happen."