This week’s guest post is by Rev. Herb Bailey, a Captain with Church Army USA or CAUSA – an organization of evangelists expressing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in tangible ways to bring transformation. He serves at Christ Church as Evangelist in Residence.
Dear Christ Church,
We have a great opportunity to love the community through actionable steps. Our burgeoning partnership with ministries in our own parish of East Austin gives us ways to practice our faith. Please join us in our food drive to fill our neighbors’ shelves. For the next two Sundays you will find a Food Drive table in our courtyard where we invite you to fill it with canned goods that will be donated to the Baptist Community Center’s food pantry. We also invite you to consider volunteering with the Baptist Community Center Mission, and by doing so, get close to the heart of Christ.
Founded in 1935 as the Baptist Goodwill Center, the Baptist Community Center Mission has served the community faithfully for 82 years. While their programs have changed with the times, their purpose has remained the same over the decades: Love God, Love People.
Currently, the mission focuses on benevolence in the form of rental assistance, utility assistance, a food pantry and a food line. They also have a sewing program, “Stitching to Serve”, that teaches sewing and crocheting skills while making items to donate to various organizations in the community. A clothing program, “Pat’s Closet”, allows homeless neighbors free clothing and others clothing at a nominal fee. They are always in need of men’s clothes.
The Director, Chris King, while new to the Mission, is not new to the mission of serving and loving the least of these. The vision is to bring the community together in the space God has provided. The Mission wants to host outreach events such as block parties, game nights, painting nights, music nights, coffee/donut Saturday mornings and other social gatherings to build relationships with the neighbors. The mission also hopes to begin mens’ and womens’ Bible studies and children’s camps. In addition, a new Spanish language church plant will begin in July.
I invite you to visit the Baptist Community Center’s website and explore opportunities to serve. The whole family can show up and if you are a parent, you get the chance to model the lifestyle of Christ.
I am grateful for the heart of service that beats in Christ Church, and I know that the Mission will benefit greatly from the love that you have to share.
Herb+