Landscaping, food drives, home repairs, hospital ministry, and free car washes are a few of the community outreach options for churches interested in a one-day community outreach event. At least four South Carolina churches have embraced the ministry strategy this spring.
Pastor Kenneth Harmon gives encouragement to a group of young volunteers from First Baptist Church in Newberry.Willow Ridge Church, Lexington, recently mobilized 100 volunteers for a half-day of service through 10 local ministry activities. The project, called FLO (Faithfully Loving Others), provided free car washes and oil changes for widows and single parents, landscaping at a local elementary school, entertainment at the Dorn Veterans Hospital in Columbia, distribution of lunches and health kits to Columbia’s homeless, and ministry to Hispanics through area flea markets.
“There’s no correct ministry list to follow,” said Tim Rice, who coordinated the project for Willow Ridge, his church, and who also is an Acts 1:8 strategist for the missions mobilization group of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. “A church is free to explore ministry opportunities in its community, mobilize volunteers for a day or half-day of service, and then go out and serve.”
Rice said the idea for community outreach is catching hold in South Carolina.
In April, Journey Church, Summerville, had its Amazing Race for Hope, mobilizing 51 volunteers for a 24-hour race similar to the “Amazing Race” television program on CBS. Volunteers completed community service projects along the race. Another group of 20 volunteers donated time and energy to prepare for the event and to pray for the community and the race participants. More than 3,000 pounds of food were collected for the Lowcountry Food Bank, more than 312 bottles of water were distributed to locals and tourists, flower beds were created at a school, and more than 2,500 articles of clothing and $1,700 in donations were collected and sorted at the Lowcountry Orphan Relief Center.
A group of men from First Baptist Church, Newberry, do home repair.First Baptist Church, Newberry, hosted an Operation Inasmuch event in April. Volunteers worked through the community, providing yard cleanup, ministry at laundromats, home repairs, food drives, cookie delivery to firemen and policemen, flower delivery to shut-ins, help at a March of Dimes walk, and health screenings.
Operation Inasmuch (www.operationinasmuch.com) is a Tennessee-based organization that began at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C, in 1995. According to its Web site, the Operation Inasmuch process for mobilizing believers in communities has been used by more than 500 churches.
James Island Baptist Church, Charleston, is participating in an Operation Inasmuch project on Saturday, May 16. More than 25 projects are advertised for volunteer participation on the church’s Web site (www.jamesislandbaptist.com).
“Every year the churches on James Island gather for a community Thanksgiving service,” said Tom Brown, James Island pastor. “We collect an offering for community outreach. Several of the pastors were talking after last year’s service about doing something more for the community. From that, we invited David Crocker from Operation Inasmuch to visit with us one evening. We loved his idea for community outreach and have 10 churches participating in May.”
While each church has its own list of projects, all the churches are providing volunteers for two big projects at low-income, high-crime parks on James Island.
Brown said volunteer response has been good, but not all volunteers will come through the church office. “At our church, we recruited team leaders for our projects and then commissioned them to go and find workers.”
Rice said most projects can be put together in a few months, though 9-12 months might be a realistic planning timetable. There’s also a residual ministry benefit to the activity itself.
“I know that at Willow Ridge we have discovered the potential for long-range community ministry with schools, hospitals, and other organizations through our half-day event this spring,” he said. “The potential grows from the event itself. The church can build relationships with the community and the church grows stronger serving side-by-side with one another.”