My name is Steve and I am the Outreach Pastor for CBC – Country Bible Church. I had scheduled a first-quarter outreach event for our church when my plans totally got derailed. We were going to deliver donuts to the people working downtown, and then Covid-19 hit. We ended up canceling our worship service for that week and decided to put the service online.
I was driving along in my car, wondering what to do about the outreach, when I heard God clearly say ‘Feed My People.’ I thought about all the kids that were going to be hungry now that schools were closed. Did you know that 48% of the students in Washington county are on free or reduced lunch? So I had this idea.
What if we used the money that we had earmarked for outreach, and channeled it through a local business? A lot of the restaurants in our city were hurting and being forced to lay off people. So if we could feed hungry kids and help a local restaurant too, then that would be a win-win.”
I went to Butch’s Deli and asked if we paid them, would they be willing to create lunches for the school kids. Then people from our church would deliver them to the doorsteps. They said yes, so I began blasting it on our through social media. The first day we fed 47 kids, then 88, then 128. By day eight we were feeding over 250 kids. Then the radio and newspaper picked it up, and we began to get requests from Seniors and others in crisis. Volunteers started coming from all over town, asking if they could help with the food delivery.
I decided that as long as there are hungry people, we are going to feed them. The lunches cost about $4/piece, but we decided to just step out in faith and keep doing it. When local businesses and individuals in the area began to hear about what we were doing, donations started pouring in. The amazing thing is, we have not even come close to running out of money yet. We always end up with more than enough.
I feel like if we’re obedient to what God asks us to do, He’s going to bless it. This is what our community needs. We have to be fluid and not tied to our plans. You can talk about ways to help your neighbors all day long, but there comes a time when you just have to move.
Get Involved
As of today the church has served 4,609 meals and an average of 242 meals per day into their community.
Help them continue this awesome mission here:
https://www.countrybible.org/copy-of-give-online
Nominate the Next Hero
Want us to highlight a person or group as a Neighborhood Hero? Send your recommendations to stories@vomo.org with a brief description of who and why they should be featured.
