In October of 1994, a vision was born in the hearts and minds of Jasper and Carolyn Bacon. After serving in pastoral work for eight and a half years, this couple, supported by Riverwood Bible Church in Jackson, sensed a calling to begin a ministry which would allow for more outreach to unchurched and unevangelized people in their hometown of Canton. In His Steps Ministries received its state incorporation in November 1994 and was granted 501(c)(3) non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service in April 1995.
In 2005, a family based in Wheaton, IL provided $150,000 for the purchase of a fifteen-acre plot of land on which to start the In His Steps Ministries campus and $200,000 to help with the construction of the multipurpose building. The multipurpose building was quickly constructed and put to use, and now stands as IHS’s main campus. Due to God’s provision and incredible generosity of IHS friends and partners, on January 30, 2013, IHS submitted its final mortgage payment on the multipurpose building in the amount of $35,677.27. The ministry quickly began developing the 15 acres of land into a sports complex, and now houses a basketball pavilion, a football/soccer field, and plenty of space for growth in the coming years. As we entered into 2019 debt free, the Lord laid on Reverend Bacon’s heart the need for further expansion and a space for a Christian camping and training ministry. Through His sovereignty, In His Steps purchased a 19 acre plot of land with an existing antebellum home and small pond down the road from the current IHS campus, which proved to be the perfect place for the next stage of In His Steps’ ministry. Since IHS acquired the land in April, we have received a generous matching gift of $100,000 to go towards the payoff of the land, and recently received a gift of $25,000 to begin the matching campaign! We can see that God is moving abundantly in this ministry, and as we move forward with renovations and development of the land, including building three cabins on the pond, we ask that you will pray alongside us for God’s continued provision and wisdom for this next phase of the ministry.
In His Steps Ministries desires to use innovative and specialized ministries to impact the lives of people for the glory of Jesus Christ. Given this desire, IHS currently ministers to the people of Canton in five different aspects. The first ministry is evangelizing, discipling, and guiding juvenile offenders and their families. The second ministry for IHS is providing long term preventive services through our SPASE program. This program takes a select group of at risk children beginning in second grade and continuing through 12th grade through an after school program, and also provides Saturday morning reading and science programs and a six-week summer enrichment program. Thirdly, IHS offers a family services ministry which includes counseling, parenting workshops, and an annual family conference to all parents of IHS students. IHS additionally renders compassionate services to the elderly, single parents, and disabled individuals by performing minor home renovations with local and out of state churches. Lastly, IHS’s sports ministry offers innovative evangelistic mentoring programs and weekly teams devotionals for middle and high school athletes in order to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ through sports and physical fitness.