For years, the Parkridge Park on Harriet Street in Ypsilanti’s south side sat neglected. It was overgrown with weeds, the basketball rims were bent, the lighting was out, and it was, in general, “a total disaster.”

But the Rev. Harry Grayson and the congregation of the Messia’s Temple undertook a clean up effort soon after moving into the neighborhood. Grayson had grown up on Ypsilanti’s southside and played in the park as a kid, so it also was a personal project.

Within several weeks, the park was cleaned up, and the church celebrated its reopening with “cake, ice cream, balloons and all the neighborhood kids.”

“That just showed his care and love for his community and the children in the community,” said Mary Grayson, the pastor's wife and secretary at the church.

The Pentecostal church has thrived since Grayson took over as pastor in 1991, and the deep involvement in the community is one of the main reasons its congregation has grown from 200 to more than 1,000 members who come from as far away as Flint and Toledo.

The Rev. Harry Grayson of Ypsilanti's Messia's Temple on Harriet Street.

Courtesy of Mary Morgan | For AnnArbor.com

On Saturday, the church held what it dubbed its 70-60-20 celebration. The church is in its 70th year since its members first built at their old Monroe Street location, Grayson turns 60 years old next month, and he is in his 20th year of serving as the church's pastor.

The celebration is extra special because Grayson was just bestowed with the honor of being elevated to a Suffragan Bishop, who assists the presiding Diocesan Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World.

"The church has changed, and I'm pleased with what we have achieved as as a group, but there's a lot more to do yet," he said. "Things change, and the goal is to build a relationship that is perpetual."

The key to building those relationships, Grayson said, is the community's children, and he said the church has been successful because it gives so much attention to its youth. Grayson said he wants to ensure that kids have the same foundation and opportunities from which to grow that he had being raised in a family of eight in Ypsilanti.

Among the many programs are a three day summer camp for kids, youth bible study program, young people’s service, a coat drive coordinated with Ypsilanti Schools, "We Care.... We Share Hot Meals” weekly hot meal and clothing program for disadvantaged families, among many more.

"We value the children," he said. "Children are our most valuable asset. Our greatest asset is not our leaders, ministers or politicians - the kids are our greatest asset."

Grayson explained he takes a more methodical approach to helping the community than simply picking a few random projects. He said he surrounds himself with people from different parts of the community who advise him - people who are educators, politicians, people who work in the criminal justice system or courts and more.

He said he also has befriended superintendents, mayors, council members, police chiefs and other community leaders to learn how the community works and what it needs. The partnerships he builds with local leaders, universities and nonprofits have helped him better address those needs.

Grayson said he thought he understood the community before becoming a pastor, but his current line of work has provided a new, fuller understanding.

“I was amazed at what was actually happening in the community,” he said. “I became aware of things you don’t see from the street level by meeting and working with the community leaders to find some solutions.”

Grayson recalled when the church first moved to their southside location, people thought the area was skid row and they were "crazy" for taking the church down there. He said he began to go out in the morning and talk to the homeless and drug addicted people hanging around the area. He soon hired them to help clean up the bottles and drug viles and, along with the congregation, they began to clean the neighborhood.

Soon other businesses were moving in and the neighborhood and community began to revive itself. Seeing that change, Grayson said, has been one of the most gratifying parts of his work.

Messia's Temple in Ypsilanti.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

“We went out and said ‘Let’s clean the neighborhood, let’s pray, let’s talk to old people, young people, and eventually the whole Harriet Street persona changed,” Grayson said. “Now it’s a regular street where people walk up and down it and everything is improved. I’ve seen peoples’ lives change and the community change.”

Grayson has learned community building skills as a guest at Harvard and other ministries around the country. He helped support the construction of a new sanctuary for a church in Hare, Zimbabwe, and his "Water for Life" program raises money for water wells for impoverished people in Africa.

But Grayson said he wants to take that experience out in the world and apply it locally.

"My greatest accomplishment is making something happen at home," he said.