When you think of Niagara Falls, you might see sweeping panoramas of the cascades with plumes of mist rising to the sky. You might get a view from the precipice of the river roaring over the rockface. The street scenes in the city, here on the U.S. side, may not come to mind, which starkly contrasts the iconic American symbol of power and promise.
Just off Pine Avenue is the old St. Joseph Elementary School recently renovated as the Glynn Family Service Center. That's where I meet the Rev. Raymond Allen.
Allen is the pastor of Bethany Missionary Baptist Church. He's also the interim community organizer for Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope (NOAH), an interfaith coalition for social change. The mission and philosophy behind the group were born out of a lesson from Martin Luther King, Jr.
King and Reverend J.H. Jackson started a soup kitchen in Chicago to help feed the poor. King asked the question, "Why are they poor in the first place?"
"NOAH addresses systemic issues," says Rev. Allen. "Are there systemic reasons why people are poor? Now, some of it may be personal choice. But a lot of it is systemic."
Rev. Allen also points out that NOAH's approach to social justice is all-embracing.
"Our motto is 'NOAH amplifies the voices of the unheard in situations of injustice, no matter what color you are.'"
Allen says NOAH is now focused on one of the biggest issues in Niagara Falls: housing.
"How can we get people out of poverty housing, substandard housing, into homeownership," says Allen, "because that's how you build wealth."
At the Bethany Missionary Baptist Church just a few blocks away, parishioners are gathering on a Saturday morning for a special worship service and health event.
Rev. Allen has been the senior pastor at the church since 2006. Although raised at an early age in the Black Baptist Church tradition in his hometown of Bainbridge, GA, he accepted his calling to the ministry in an independent Pentecostal denomination. When he returned to the Baptist church, he took some things from the Pentecostals with him.
"When I became the pastor, I did let the church know that I still embrace. a lot of my Pentecostal distinctive," said Rev. Allen. "And they were all in favor of it."
Willie Lee Whitaker is the church's last remaining founder. Originally from Troy, AL, she says that Bethany started as an old-school Baptist church with traditional hymns and prayers. Over time, the church has embraced a contemporary style.
"I think we've got the best praise and worship group here in the city of Niagara Falls," said Whitaker. "He [Rev. Allen] does a Sunday School [on] Sunday mornings, and he is one of the most dynamic Sunday School teachers you could ever find."
After the worship, congregants gather downstairs for health presentations. Guest speakers give talks on diet and exercise, and mental health. Reverend Lora Allen, the pastor's wife, gives an impassioned talk on spiritual health.
After the presentations, healthy lunch boxes are handed out. Some parishioners stay to share in fellowship. Others bundle up and take their lunches home.
As for what Rev. Allen prays for?
"I live in the urban area and there was a young lady I was noticing," said the pastor. "I know she was hooked on something, I can't say if it was crack or alcohol.
The pastor told his wife that the next time he saw her, he was going to ask her what her name was. He saw her again, asked her name, and told her that he was going to put her name in the Bethany church's prayer box.
"That woman is in our prayers," said Rev. Allen. "So that is my prayer, that people will come to know God personally, the God of the universe, personally for themselves."