Sharing God’s comfort: Emerald Baptist uses sandwiches to connect with community

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Some members of Emerald Baptist Church in Greenwood are living that verse every Sunday afternoon when they make sandwiches and pass them out in neighborhoods around Greenwood.

“It makes me more humble to go out there and see where I came from,” said Lissa Seabolt, who spearheads the sandwich effort. “It’s about more than just sandwiches. It’s about getting to see these kids and getting to know them.”

Seabolt knows what it is like to be hungry. She ate many meals at a soup kitchen as a child and feels that God has put her in the right place at the right time. Every Sunday afternoon she shows up at the church and begins making sandwiches and putting together bag lunches. She makes about 150 sandwiches each week and has made as many as 200 since mid-June when Emerald Baptist launched the ministry.

“Some of us went down to Seven Bridges in Atlanta,” said Jeremy Eidson, son of former pastor Curt Eidson. “We saw what they were doing and told them we were going to do something like it in Greenwood. We just go out there and offer to pray with them.”

Seven Bridges in Atlanta began as a ministry to the homeless. Volunteers take sack lunches to the homeless living under bridges in the Metro Atlanta area. Several members of Emerald Baptist made the trip to Atlanta to help out. They soon realized there was a need right in their own backyard.

The group, made up of about half adults and half members of the youth group, travels in a caravan behind one of the church vans. They circle through areas like New Haven Apartments, Greenwood Apartments and Trakas Avenue. At each stop, the group gets out to offer sandwiches and a bottle of water before offering to pray with each person. Kids stream to the group, and impromptu versions of “Jesus Loves Me” and “The Potato Chip Song” break out among them. One girl ran to the group, excited because it was her sixth birthday. The group stopped and sang happy birthday to the little girl.

Seabolt is not the only member of the group with a special heart for those going hungry. Charlie Andrews was homeless as a child. Both of his parents were addicted to drugs, and his family lost everything, including their home. It was that experience as a child that gave Charlie the heart to go out into his community to share the good news that there is hope in even the bleakest of situations.

“We just slept wherever we could and ate whatever we could,” Andrews said. “God has blessed me enough to be able to go out there and give back and tell these people that there is hope. There’s always hope.”

— This story first appeared at GWDtoday.com and is reprinted with permission.