Church hopes to help fight crime with Thanksgiving dinner

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A church in Trinity Gardens is reaching out to the community after a man was stabbed to death on Halloween night.

Raymond Aikens death, and other acts of violence in the neighborhood have helped prompt members of the Ark of Safety church to reach out to the community.

Rev. Ellis Harper, the pastor of the church, said, "We're asking people to stop the violence in our neighborhood, and we're showing them a more excellent way, by being the salt of the earth."

The church is just one house down from the home where relatives said Aikens was found stabbed.

Mobile Police said they know who stabbed him on Oct. 31 , but it will be up to a grand jury to decide if there are any charges. Friday, Aikens' aunt told FOX10 News he was found in the front yard of her home by his grandson.

Mattie Aikens Brice said, "Something happened, and I wish they'd get him, whoever it was, because I don't understand. It really hurt me, because that was my nephew."

When asked about the stabbing of Aikens, Shantez Harper with Ark of Safety Church said, "It was really sad, it was sad. But, we're trying to stop this violence in this neighborhood, and let them know that there is a church here that loves the people."

Saturday morning, church members prepared gift bags to give to people in the neighborhood. They had a special reason. Rev. Harper feels the church is helping to keep pain like Brice's from spreading further.

Then, the pastor and other church members spent the day walking the neighborhood, and knocking on doors. Harper said members of his church knocked on 150 doors last weekend, and hope to reach 200 homes this weekend.

Ark of Safety is also planning a special dinner for people in the neighborhood the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Rev. Harper said, "I think the message is getting through. Sometimes, its like cleaning the house. You can't get the whole house clean all at once; you have to take it one room at a time, and what we're doing is taking it one street at a time."