Dec 7, 2023 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

Pastors from several Fayette County churches may have only incorporated the nonprofit Love Fayette a few months ago, but the group has unofficially been working behind the scenes for the past 12 years.

“The mission was created for the betterment of Fayette County and their families,” said Jason Lamer, founder of Love Fayette and pastor at Faith Assembly in Uniontown. “Rather than one individual church supporting others, we brought several churches together.”

As the pastors continued to pray and create opportunities for their members, business executives and other community leaders joined the team.

Most recently, Love Fayette has been working on a mission to purchase a home, renovate it and work with a tenant to, in turn, purchase the home from them. In short, the nonprofit wants to help families make home ownership a reality.

As the organization has developed over the years, Lamar said many people in the multi-church community have joined to celebrate their county.

“It’s become very purposeful,” Lamer said. “There’s a lot of excitement that centers around building up Fayette County, and we’re celebrating the strengths in our county. I think in some ways, it’s changing people’s minds on how they perceive their community.”

Aside from purchasing and renovating homes, Love Fayette serves as a conduit, connecting people through multiple organizations.

Lamer said the goal is not only to meet a need but also to help people get back on their feet – moving from poverty to purpose.

They often send volunteers to help in whatever project another organization has underway, whether that be packing meals for the homeless or spreading the word about a fundraiser.

They host events like Faith and Blue in early October with a kickball tournament, and participate in local community gatherings like Family Fun Fest and others.

“We want to help build organizations like St. Vincent de Paul, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and others. Our tagline talks about not reinventing the wheel, but reinforcing the wheel already in motion,” Lamer said. “As people serve in their community, it’s just one of the ways they can take pride in it.”

While much of the fundraising and volunteering comes from members of the churches, there are other ways the community can get involved.

The community can donate, volunteer or share various events through their social media pages.

“Any funds we receive go directly toward buying homes, renovating them and replicating this model we’ve created to move people out of whatever situation they’re in,” Lamer said. “We also have a ‘store’ with merchandise online and of course, praying for our community and for our organization is important.”

For more information about Love Fayette, visit https://www.lovefayette.org/.