FEATURED COVER STORY
Community Share Ministries: Making Room
F
ounded a little more than 12 years ago in the small city
years. Excitingly, God continues to prove His faithfulness
of Cedartown, GA, Community Share Ministries has
by blessing Community Share Ministries often. With Mr.
been a beacon of light within the community. We clothe,
Slaughter’s head spinning in utter amazement at what God
house, and feed the less fortunate in the surrounding areas. But
accomplished in such a short time, he felt the plan was
one thing that is at the center of everything we do is simple—
finished in terms of growth in numbers.
making room. We believe in making room for people so they
But after being content for a couple of years, Mr. Slaughter
can experience the transforming grace and love of Jesus Christ.
began to feel the Lord’s call again. God began to give him a
This is our God-given mission.
radical vision of more. It all started when he and his wife,
Jason Slaughter, founder and director of Community Share
Ginger, went to a late evening DFACS class to become foster
Ministries, started with a clear call from the Lord to close all of
parents themselves. During one of the evening sessions, they
his family businesses in the Southeast. That call was also very
were startled to hear loud yelling coming from a car near the
specific—open a men’s homeless shelter, a women’s homeless
door. To their surprise and devastation, it was a young child.
shelter, and a children’s home. Being the business-minded man
He was yelling loudly to a DFACS worker close by, and he
he is, Mr. Slaughter sat down and wrote a 10-year strategic
said, “Please, please, please tell my teacher I am going to be
plan to begin answering God’s call. His plan was to first open
okay and not to worry about me.” Little did this child know he
a thrift store in order to raise money for a couple of years to
was about to be taken to a new city, a new home, a new family,
gain the resources needed to open the shelters. But God had
and he would have a new teacher. He was told he was going
a much different plan. Within 36 months, all three homes
to Atlanta to a new foster home because there was no room for
were operational and running, starting with the men’s home,
him at one in his hometown. Mr. Slaughter and his wife were
then the women’s and children’s shelters. Needless to say,
shocked. Never had they experienced such an awful situation
God moved in big and mighty ways during those first three
involving a child.
22 // July 2022
