Who We Are   . . .

    ". . . I say to you,
      inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these brethren,
    you did it unto me."
      - Matthew 25:40


OPPORTUNITY PARISH ECUMENICAL NEIGHBORHOOD  MINISTRY

OPEN  M is  a  non-profit neighborhood-based, comprehensive ministry working in the community of South Akron. Our
organization was founded in 1968 through the cooperation of four churches in the surrounding area. Listening to the
Celebrating Over 40 Years......
    Feeding the Hungry
    Caring for the Sick
    Nurturing Children
    Supporting Families
    Strengthening Neighborhoods
941 Princeton Street
Akron, Ohio 44311
330.434.0110

A Beacon of
Hope
in the Heart
of the
City
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OPEN M
A Ministry of
Faith, Health & Hope

1 9 6 8  -  2 0 0 9

MISSION STATEMENT

The purpose of OPEN M in fulfilling its ministry is to minister primarily to a defined area of the City of Akron in the following
ways:

  •   Feed the hungry
  •   Heal the sick
  •   Nurture children
  •   Build families
  •   Strengthen the community

OPEN M  DIRECTORS

    1968 - 1984          Sue Ralph
    1968 - 1978          Bob Ralph (Co-Director)
    1979 - 1981          Bill Neil (Co-Director)
    1981 - 1984          Larry Schiller (Co-Director)        
    1984 - 1986          Tina Nees
    1986 - 1989          John Beaty
    1989 - 1992          Curnell Graham
    1992 - 1993          Sadie Reynolds
    1993 - 2005          Timothy J. Crouch
    2005 - Present      Dorothy V. Achmoody

IN THE BEGINNING

"The idea was easy . . . it's all right there in the gospels . . ."    Reverend Bob Hahn

Summer of 1968 Reverend Bob Hahn and several parishioners of Calvary Evangelical United Brethren Church reached
out to their inner city neighbors and joined by Reverend Paul Reese of Main Street Methodist Church formed a
neighborhood church called:   Opportunity Park Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry - OPEN  M.   Four churches came
together that summer - St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Wooster Avenue Christian (Disciples of Christ), Calvary Evangelical
United Brethren Church and Main Street Methodist Church and formed the nucleus of the fledgling parish.

First task was to find a minister.  A "team" was chosen:   Sue Ball and her fiancé' Bob Ralph, seminary students from
Oberlin, Ohio.  With two ministers, four churches, and eight representatives in place (two representatives from each
church) a name and a mission were next.  Bill Jenkins (from Calvary Evangelical United Brethren Church),  Sue Ball, Rev.
Bob Hahn and others brainstormed for names but "OPEN M" was "always a part of that".  OPEN not only stood for
location (Opportunity Park) but also emphasized two fundamental features:    ecumenical and neighborhood.  As far as
research goes, no one person named OPEN M (currently called Opportunity Parish Ecumenical Neighborhood Ministry).

    From:    "A Beacon of Hope   The First 35 Years of OPEN M"
    Maryann Spoonster  
concerns of the community has always been a major priority and has
given rise to our focus on jobs, safety, health care, recreation and
self-sufficiency.  We offer hope in the mist of despair by helping
people address short-and long-term needs of the poor in inner city
Akron.  OPEN M serves numerous sections of the city and county with
a variety of programs that touch the lives of over 6,000 individuals each
year.