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The Celebration Church and Outreach Ministry, formerly known as the ''Richmond Outreach Center'' (ROC), is a non-denominational Christian ministry in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded in 2001 by Geronimo Aguilar in a small warehouse across from Pure Pleasure off Midlothian Turnpike. Starting with just one bus for transporting people to the various programs offered, by the time they moved to a larger location - just a few blocks down from the original location - they had nearly 10 buses running. Presently, the church is located in an old flea market on Midlothian Turnpike, and has several dozen buses running for various programs on a weekly and semi-weekly basis. Next to it is one of the church's thrift stores, "The Love of Jesus."〔()〕 () On June 12, 2015, the church announced that it was changing its name to Celebration Church and Outreach Ministry and hiring Dr. Robert Rhoden as the Transitional Pastor. 〔()〕 ==Founding and growth== The ministry was founded in 2001 in Richmond, Virginia as the ROC. When it first started it was simply an outreach center with a Christian theme. It soon transformed into a church, with Pastor Geronimo as the head pastor and sole founder. As of January 2009, the ministry had gone from 19 people, to an average weekly attendance of over 10,000, ranging from Richmond's poorest in the worst projects, to its most wealthy. The church attracted a variety of personalities, from college students, to drug users, to school teachers, to business men & women, to the elderly and even the homeless. The church focuses on urban lifestyle issues such as education and housing.〔Wythe High Reports Drop in Violence, Thanks to Partnership http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/education/article/WYTH151_20090314-234004/232032/〕 The church also supports the Reach Out Center and thrift store in Petersburg, Virginia. The Reach Out Center, like the church, also works closely with the local police department.〔Wiggins, F. M. (2008) "Ministry Opens Thrift Store." The Progress-Index.〕 The church was founded as a place where churches can come together to do inner-city mission work. This group targets residents of public housing projects, motels, and dilapidated homes. The church has over 170 ministries, and there is a wide variety of classes and programs offered on a daily basis. Everything ranging from little league to skateboarding to dance, tattooing, motorcycle clubs, Christian 12-step programs, to small group counseling sessions. Winning souls for Christ is the church's primary mission.〔Church's Mission to Help Youth a Home Run http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/top/article/-RTD_2008_06_27_0060/17589/〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Celebration Church and Outreach Ministry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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