Montgomery Church Honored for Humanitarian Efforts

A Montgomery pastor and his church were honored this month with the Humanitarian of the Year award by Child Initiative International.

Pastor Jeffery Barrett and his were chosen for the award due to the support, financial and otherwise, the church has shown CII for more than four years, according to a CII press release. Genesis was one of the first churches to support CII, a non-profit working to safeguard the lives of children in three countries.

“The people of Genesis Community Church really deserve this award,” said Phil Kilkas, chairman of the CII Board of Directors. “The encouragement and support they have given to Child Initiative International are worth even more than the dollars.”

Genesis Community Church has resided in the old Village Hall at 1300 S. Broadway since 2009. Pastor Jeffrey Barrett is also the executive director of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, and its offices are in the same building.

Child Initiative International began mission work in Uganda in 2006, after Klikas and his fellow board member Ray Zinkel visited the country and saw the devastating conditions first-hand, according to the press release. CII currently assists more than 1,100 children at five schools and three orphanages in Africa, as well as other programs in the U.S. and India.

CII donates food, educational materials, medicine and clothing, and has built schools and orphanages, and dug wells for clean water. The company is a 501(c)(3) located in Belvidere, and has been recognized as a humanitarian aid organization by the Ugandan government.