Church takes new mission to aid locally this summer
Church takes on new mission to aid neighbors this summer
JENNIFER GRISWOLD
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Published: July 4, 2009
NINNEKAH — You don’t have to go to a Third World country or another state to find people in need. People who need help are right down the street, Pastor Mike McReynolds said.
Members of Ninnekah Baptist Church could see the needs in their rural community, so they decided to help those closer to home this summer with a mission project in their own town.
Missions in Ninnekah, a weeklong community service project, reached out to all residents in the
Grady County town.
Ninnekah doesn’t have any agencies people can turn to when they need assistance. The town has many elderly residents, widows and single moms who could use a helping hand, church member
Joyce Smith said.
Many people don’t want to ask for help, so the church sent out more than 1,200 letters to residents offering their services. People didn’t have to be associated with the church in any way to receive help, Smith said.
"We wanted to not just say with our mouths how much we cared, but show it with our actions,” McReynolds said.
About 25 church members gathered every morning at the church this week to get their assignments. About 20 requests for help were turned in, but additional jobs came in daily.
Volunteers of all ages participated in the project, completing odd jobs from yard work to general house repairs. Teens worked side-by-side with senior citizens. Some church members used vacation days from their jobs so they could take part.
Ciara Garrett, 13, gave up a week of her summer vacation to help with Missions in Ninnekah.
"I would normally just be sitting at home on the couch watching TV,” she said. "It feels really good to help because we’re helping people do stuff that they can’t do.”
Ninnekah resident Dale Phelps’ home was damaged in a recent storm. Phelps, 74, wasn’t able to make the needed repairs himself.
"I’m getting so old and feeble. It’s hard for me to do anything anymore,” he said. "I’ve never asked for help in all my life. I’ve always been the one that helped someone else.”
The mission team stepped in, replacing sections of a fence that had blown down, fixing the home’s guttering and working on its exterior.
Surveying the progress made in just a couple of days, Phelps said he’s thankful someone cared enough to help him.
"This is fantastic. It’s just unreal,” he said. "I was so relieved when they offered to come do this.”
The project was a great way to build relationships among the church’s members and with the community, McReynolds said. This is the first year for the home missions project, but the church plans to make it an annual event.
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