Community Service by Paula Nelson

from Faith On Every Corner - March 2021

Community by John Alexander

When you think of church, what do you think of? Do you think of a little white church sitting on a hill with small pews and red-backed hymnals where only old hymns are sung? Or maybe it’s the stately church with big columns and a huge steeple on the top where everyone is dressed in their Sunday’s best? How about the church down the street that just started up and you can wear jeans and come into worship with a full praise band? These are all descriptions of churches all over that look different on the outside and may seem a little different on the inside, but we share one thing in common and that’s sharing The Good News of Jesus.

In the last year, we have learned more than ever that the church is so much more than a building. For most, our usual Sunday morning worship was turned upside down once the scare of COVID-19 hit. We went from church services in a building to watching services online from the comfort of our couch or, for some, in our cars in the church parking lots. The church we had known changed, literally overnight. In a time of such uncertainty, we asked ourselves, how can we be the church outside of our church box and witness to the lost world around us? That’s what inspired our local body of churches here in Caldwell County, NC to join together and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community.

Jeff Burkhimer, lead Pastor of Mountain Grove Church in Cajahs Mtn. NC, was the one that felt a calling to bring our local body of churches together to show unity not only for the lost but to inspire our own body of believers. Jeff said, “After I became a Christian, one of my main reasons for not wanting to join up was the lack of cooperation between believers and their churches. It struck me as odd that a belief system defined by love and mutual submission was rarely displayed individually and corporately among people who claimed to follow Jesus. I wanted to break this barrier and show the outside world we can be different, worship different, look different, and have some different views but we are still on the same team and that’s loving people and sharing the Good News of Jesus.”

One of our first collaborations as a group of local churches set out to serve our community was a Book Bag Giveaway. We provided over 1,000 book bags filled with school supplies. We all came together, purchased the bags and items, packed them, and handed them out at a local Walmart to families in our community. This was a great first experience and display of showing unity in our community. Shortly afterward we came together and did The Great Candy Parade which was a drive-thru trick or treat for kids in our community. Next on our list was a Thanksgiving Meal Giveaway. Our youth groups came together and were able to provide 500 Thanksgiving meals to families in need in our community. The outpouring of appreciation from the families that received the meals was amazing.

Next on the list was a coat drive. Between all of our community churches, we were able to collect almost 4,000 coats. We delivered these coats to our local shelter homes for them to pass out to families in need of a winter coat to stay warm. Even some were placed on bridges and areas where we knew people would need one.

While we were able to do all these amazing things in our community during the COVID-19 crisis, things took a turn in January. COVID-19 numbers spiked, and hospitals were filling up fast with patients in need of medical care. That’s when we got the news that Samaritan’s Purse was setting up a Field Hospital in our local hospital’s parking lot to help support the need for beds and medical care for the patients needing hospitalization for the virus. We came together in the parking lot of the hospital and prayed for the patients, the workers, and the families there. While we were there, we were able to tour the field hospital and pray over the beds that would have patients in them the next day. We prayed over the staff that not only would treat these patients but could share The Gospel with them as well. It was one of the most rewarding things we had done together so far.

So, our community outreach continues thanks to all the church members of Mountain Gove, Hudson First, Waterlife, and The Life Center. We continue to bring the good news of Jesus. We continue to show unity in our community and show that the body of believers can come, serve, and love regardless of color, age, political views, or even denominations. We are one step closer to making people see we are of one people, and that’s God’s People.