By Rupert Howell

Operation Generation Take-Back will feature Gospel Rap Artist Thi’sl of St. Louis and free food at Patton Lane Park at 1 p.m. this Saturday and again at 4 p.m. at Sardis Ball Field.

Overflowing Love Ministry, Armstrong Street Church of God, Anointed Prophetic Ministries, New Destiny Christian, Mt. Gillion M.B., Circle of Love Ministries, Under My Wings Foundation, Cistern Hill M.B., and Hosanna Family Worship Center as well as Pastors and Ministers Fellowship are sponsoring the events according to a Pastor Dameon Cunningham.

“Our mission is to encourage our youth and our young adults not to resort to violence this summer,” the promotional literature reads.

“We want to spread the word and prepare their minds for a victimless Panola County . . . and all North Mississippi,” the advertisements reads and continues, “We want to encourage them so that we can make it through the summer and year without parents burying their children or children being left without parents.”

Encouraging the younger community to live a peaceful life, the ad encourages them to, “Wash your rides, shine your wheels, bump your music, cut some blocks ,but put the guns down and stop the violence!”

“We want to spread the message that there is a better way and that way is through Jesus Christ almighty,” the advertisement concludes.

“All of my life, people I loved were always rejecting me, because of how bad I was. When I saw God for who He really was, all I wanted to do was learn about God,” Thi’sl said in an interview with Chris Lassiter of HipHopDX.

“It wasn’t until two years later that I had learned all this stuff that I was just praying, saying, ‘Man, God, I need a way to communicate this to my generation,’” and that’s when he started back doing music with a Christian’s perspective.

“When I was in the street, I rapped about street stuff because I was a real street dude. When I got saved, I started rapping from a Christian point of view. That’s what I believe, and that’s how I’m really living,” he said.