1 / 6

Javon Kemp serves water to those who attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden. Photo taken Aug. 9, 2014.

Bill Francis

2 / 6

A volunteer serves a lunch burrito to those who attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden. Photo taken Aug. 9, 2014.

Bill Francis

3 / 6

People relax after having attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden.

Bill Francis

4 / 6

Pastor Jesse Kemp serves passes out information to those who attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden.

Bill Francis

5 / 6

Volunteers serve lunch to those who attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden.

Bill Francis

6 / 6

Volunteers serve lunch to those who attended the outdoor Jesus Bread of Life Ministry, which is held Sundays in the Municipal Gardens between 25th Street and 26th Street on Grant Avenue. The ministry is available to all who attend but is designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden.

Bill Francis

❮ ❯

OGDEN — There’s not one person who sits in the pews each week at Jesse Kemp’s church.

That’s because Kemp’s Jesus Bread of Life Ministry takes church on the road to those who need it most. Designed to be an outreach to the homeless residents of Ogden, the ministry is available to anyone who wants to attend.

Kemp holds church each week on the lawn of Ogden’s Municipal Gardens between 25th and 26th Streets on Grant Avenue. Those who attend sit on blankets in the park to hear him preach briefly before he and his volunteers serve them a free meal.

Often people bring Frisbees and make a day out of the lunch in the park with their families, he said.

“This is a park picnic. That’s what I call it, said Danny Gomez, Jr., who is one who attends for the lunch and program.

“It’s great what he does,” he said of Kemp. “I think it’s wonderful. He is giving to the people. I believe he has that spirit about him.”

And others who were served last Sunday said they come because of how they feel when they are there.

“They are very encouraging,” said Shyree Richards of Ogden about Kemp and his volunteers. “They say ‘You can do it.'”

Richards specifically pointed to volunteer Arter Phillips of Ogden as having made a difference for her.

“A lot of people come here because of how they treat us,” she said.

And Phillips said treating others with respect was a blessing.

“That is the way God has told us to walk, to treat people the way you want to be treated,” he said, noting his belief in doing the will of God.

“People recognize you by the fruits of your labor,” he said. “His love He shares with me.”

And Phillips said those who he serves may in turn take God’s love out to other parts of the city.

“We’re here for God,” said Gidget Arena of Ogden, a volunteer in the non-denominational church. “We’re saving His people. That is what it’s all about. It’s not about us.”

Kemp’s son, Javon Kemp, said he enjoys serving alongside his father because of the transformation they see in the lives of those they serve over time.

He said eventually, people find their way and are better off.

“They are seeds,” he said of the service in the park. “That is what He calls us to do.”

Kemp has been serving lunch in the park each Sunday for the last year.

Staring nine years prior, he served lunch for two years but had to stop for a time.

Now, Kemp feels the need to keep going as long as he can.

He is helped by volunteers who have given him both time and resources.

The lunches are restaurant quality and most generally come from El Matadore restaurant.

Those who received them said they were very grateful for the quality and taste of the meal.

Kemp said he’s hoping the publicity of his effort will help him to expand his services to include an indoor meal during the cold months this winter.

Because of the faith Kemp has found through those who have donated to his effort to feed the homeless in the park, he also has faith that someone will come forward to donate the space to accommodate a winter indoor effort.

But even with a building, Kemp said he’ll still be serving out in the cold for some of his clientele.

“There are a lot of people who no matter how cold it is will not go into a building,” Kemp said. “We’ll come no matter what. Some folks just like the out-of-doors. That’s what we are here for. It’s a joy and a blessing to be able to do it.”

To contact Kemp about his church, call him evenings at 801-391-6897.

You may reach JaNae Francis at 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at JaNaeFrancisSE. Like her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SEJaNaeFrancis.