{"id":31487,"date":"2022-09-10T15:32:21","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/churches-find-ways-to-serve-even-in-unprecedented-circumstances\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:32:21","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:32:21","slug":"churches-find-ways-to-serve-even-in-unprecedented-circumstances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/churches-find-ways-to-serve-even-in-unprecedented-circumstances\/","title":{"rendered":"Churches Find Ways to Serve Even in Unprecedented Circumstances"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Brett Sayles photo – Pexels<\/div>\n

By Tess Schoonhoven<\/em><\/p>\n

The needs of communities around the U.S. have been growing in midst of the COVID-19 global crisis.<\/p>\n

With many families unable to maintain proper childcare in light of schools shutting down, college students without a place to live and insecure communities without essential household items, churches are stepping in to bring practical aid.<\/p>\n

Green Hill Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., has jumped in to help bring food to those who normally rely on school meals for their children.<\/p>\n

Rickey Baxley, administrative pastor at Green Hill Church, said they are partnering with the local food pantry and elementary schools.<\/p>\n

“Many students receive two meals a day from their school and with schools being out, there was an immediate need to make sure food was available to those students within the community,” Baxley said.<\/p>\n

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Baxley said Green Hill will offer prepared food boxes to families in need in the mornings at the church. Each box will provide three to four meals for a family of four.<\/p>\n

A local company also donated fresh fruit and produce for families to retrieve from the church, Baxley said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the boxed meals available in the mornings, Baxley said each evening the church will have full meals ready to be picked up.<\/p>\n

“They won’t even have to get out of their car,” Baxley explained, “[They] just pull up and let us know how many meals are needed, and our volunteers will bring them to their vehicle.”<\/p>\n

Baxley said as of 11 a.m. Monday (March 16), they have provided meals for 10 families and anticipate a growing number in the coming week.<\/p>\n

“We are grateful for the privilege of continuing to meet the needs of our community as this season keeps rolling and look forward to using this as a platform to meet the immediate needs and to share the Gospel,” Baxley said.<\/p>\n

The church’s community was hit hard just two weeks ago, when a tornado tore through Mt. Juliet, destroying homes and taking lives.<\/p>\n

Immanuel Nashville, also in middle Tennessee, has been making an effort to help find housing for college students displaced by the canceling of in-person classes and campuses closing down.<\/p>\n

Barnabas Piper, director for community at Immanuel, said when the church heard of local universities’ decision to move all residential students off campus they acted immediately.<\/p>\n

“Those who minister on-campus were quick to notify the church staff and put out word on social media so we could begin to mobilize,” Piper said.<\/p>\n

“We realized that many of the students most likely to be stranded were international students who could not easily return home because of visa issues, cost and COVID-19 related restrictions.”<\/p>\n

Piper sent out a request to Immanuel’s small groups and discipleship groups to see if anyone had rooms or apartments available and within a few hours heard from more than 20 individuals offering housing accommodations.<\/p>\n

“We were also put in touch with a number of campus ministries who had banded together to care for students,” Piper said. “This allowed us to connect with a number of international students and find them housing through the end of the school year.”<\/p>\n

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Piper noted that the eagerness of the church to serve the community has been an amazing thing to see unfold.<\/p>\n

“Collectively, the church stepped up to care for people in a time of crisis,” Piper said. “I didn’t even have to facilitate or try to create momentum because the people were so ready to be good neighbors. I simply took the opportunity to give them a chance, and they ran with it.”<\/p>\n

Dean Inserra, pastor of City Church in Tallahassee, Fla., encouraged churches to join in with already existing local efforts to aid their communities.<\/p>\n

“Don’t feel like you have to create a new ministry or a new program,” Inserra said. “That could be overwhelming, and a lot of times out of our expertise.”<\/p>\n

Inserra encouraged church leaders not to fear simply pointing their congregation toward efforts that are already happening.<\/p>\n

City Church is working to meet financial needs by directing some of their giving to a local food bank, Second Harvest Food Bank, that is putting together meals, rather than try to start their own meal providing efforts.<\/p>\n

“We’re big on not reinventing the wheel or trying to do our own thing when there’s already stuff happening with people who do this kind of thing regularly,” Inserra said.<\/p>\n

“You’re going to see us [City Church] join existing ministries and see how we can help them.”<\/p>\n

City Church has also been in a longstanding partnership with a local high school and has made themselves available to whatever needs may continue to arise in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

“We are ready to mobilize and help that school in any way we can.” Inserra said.<\/p>\n

“Our church wants to know right away, ‘what are we doing?’ [to help],” Inserra said. “Our church expects that to happen. That’s just how our church thinks. We’ll have people that definitely get on board.”<\/p>\n

As communities continue to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the opportunities for churches to come alongside those in need will increase.<\/p>\n

Other ways churches are serving their communities, each other, and creatively continuing ministry include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Several North Carolina churches and ministries are offering their facilities and equipment for other congregations to use for recording sermons.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A Washington state church held a drive-in worship service.<\/p>\n

\u2022 As Italy is under numerous restrictions, a baptism service was held in a bathtub and livestreamed.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A Chicago church is asking members to record themselves reading portions of Scripture to be used in their online worship services.<\/p>\n

What other ways have you seen churches be creative in how they are ministering in this moment?<\/em><\/p>\n

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Tess Schoonhoven<\/h2>\n

@TessSchoonhoven<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tess is a Baptist Press staff writer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n