With a large group of employees and students enjoying the day off, Columbia Metro Baptist Association decided to make the most of Martin Luther King Jr. Day by spearheading intentional evangelism opportunities. Dozens of people canvassed across Columbia, blessing those who may have needed it the most.
“We are always looking for ways for our churches to reach out to their communities. Martin Luther King Day presented itself as a good day to serve the community,” Bill Dieckmann, Columbia Metro Association director of missions, said of the timing.
Some participants ministered to Lizard’s Thicket employees; some visited a truck stop and fire station; others bought lunch for military personnel at IHOP; and still others served breakfast to the homeless.
“The heart of this ministry idea is to display the love of Jesus through acts of kindness and service so that the more than half of our population that is unchurched would both see Jesus in the lives of the participants and hear the message of his love through a verbal witness,” said Bill Wright, Columbia Metro Association missions and ministry coordinator.
Around 12 churches participated in this first year of the outreach, but Wright hopes to continue providing this opportunity to Columbia churches annually.
Wright says the community response from participants and recipients was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had everything from a woman who responded, ‘You could not have picked a better day to do this,’ to a person who had participated in the activities talking about the impact more than two weeks later,” he said.
Wright pointed out how God ordained each opportunity for individuals, and many expressed how much they needed help at that exact moment.
Gordon George from Second Union Baptist Church fed breakfast to the homeless. “We can trust the cohesiveness of God. God is for everyone, no matter where you are. This is the start of a great thing.”