BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio—Calvary Baptist Church, as a community outreach effort, distributed five food packages each to 1,000 families in the area. “Feeding 5,000″ came through donations from church members who gave either monetary gifts or purchased specific items over a three-month period.
The recipients, who were from every age group, did not know that the church people were coming, so they were taken back by such a loving gesture. One lady, who had only one item left in her refrigerator, said, “As you can see, you could not have come at a better time.” Some children, left home alone, jumped for joy when they saw that there were hot dogs and macaroni and cheese in the sack.
Hurting and lonely individuals allowed the church people to minister to them. One woman related that she had been given six months to live. She was a single mother in her 30s with three children. Someone in her home flagged down the visitors to come back so she could thank them. The team then gathered around her bed and shared Christ with her. She assured her friends that she had a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Other stories are beginning to surface, and the church is convinced that God is going to continue to touch each life the people encountered. God has also done an amazing work in the lives of the church people who were privileged to be used by Him. Church member Shannon Maier, a truancy officer in Bellefontaine, has invited anyone who wants to investigate this type of outreach in his or her own community to contact her at ssmaier@embarqmail.com.
