Dr. Ida Payne Lofton, wife of GNSMBC’s former shepherd Dr. Fred C. Lofton, still attends GNSMBC although she visits Metropolitan, her home church, from time-to-time. “One of our biggest contributions to the GNSMBC ministry was a program we refer to as the Greater New Shiloh Achievement Academy,” said Payne Lofton. “I was involved with some various ministries like tutorial ministry – we provided tutorial assistance to students in the community and at the church who needed assistance with educational things. We had a program and we met every Saturday for about four hours. I set the goals for the academy and we helped a lot of children. Some of them were having problems with tests they had to pass at the end of the year. A lot of them were successful and were able to get their high school diploma.” GNSMBC sits in the heart of the Orange Mound community. Another way it gives back to those in the community is through a program called the Viree’s Vision Food Ministry. “This is an outreach program and I was one of the Pastor Franklin Collins taught the Word from Luke 5:1-5 during morning worship service at Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 835 Maywood Street, on Sunday, January 26, 2020. persons who helped with the implementation and creation of this ministry,” said Payne Lofton speaking of the ministry that took the church members out into the community to feed the homeless. “It was one of my Sunday School students who came to me because he was so concerned about people he saw on the corner. He came to me and he asked what could we as a church do? It was not enough to say they could come to our church or go to a soup kitchen because Viree was aware that these people did not have transportation in many instances. He wanted a ministry where we would take our ministry to the streets around the city. We started off with sandwiches and brown bag lunches and we gradually increased it to hot meals. We frequently go to Morris Park near the missions on Poplar Avenue.” Payne Lofton was one of several GNSMBC members who helped turn 2018 White Station High School graduate and author Viree Potter’s vision into a reality. “We started this ministry when Viree was about nine years old,” said Payne Lofton. “Now he’s a sophomore in college at Bethel University in Jackson, TN. We still go and perform street ministry and people still come to the church 27
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