Faith in Action ministry report

Sunday, October 11, we did something WBC has never done before. We cancelled worship and Sunday School in order to do ministry projects in our community. We called it Faith in Action Day. I must admit, I was a little nervous as to how it would go. It’s much easier to do what we usually do; new stuff is always a little scary. But I am so very proud of my church family and how you performed! Here’s a brief summary of our activities that day:

19 people helped repair the home of one of our neighbors. They replaced rotting wood, converted a back porch into a covered patio, replaced an exterior door and frame, cleaned up the yard, removed a tree and debris, and planted shrubs.

17 people served Braes Interfaith Ministries. Six people put away summer clothes at the Resale Shop to make room for winter, moved Christmas items into the store to sell, changed air conditioning filters, mopped, and vacuumed. Eleven people worked at the Braes Pantry, preparing bags of groceries for people in need within the community, vacuuming, disinfecting, and bringing files up to date.

18 people handed out water bottles with the WBC logo and information on them. They started out on the Braeswood jogging trail. When it started to rain, rather than quit, they handed the bottles outside places like 24 Hour Fitness and Walmart.

50 people did landscaping work at McNamara Elementary. They planted new shrubs, helped alleviate drainage problems, and transformed the outside science area. Principal Chenier sent us a wonderful thank-you note.

8 people went door-to-door near the church, praying for our neighbors. They handed out bags with a water bottle and a flyer about our church.

52 people prepared care baskets for the Women’s Pregnancy Center. These baskets, including baby needs and hand-written notes from our members, will encourage expectant mothers to choose life for their unborn babies.

56 people worked at Westbury Square. They did major exterior clean-up and planting. This was definitely our most visible project, as many people stopped to ask what was going on!
27 people led a worship service at Holly Hall Retirement Community. Our very own Steve Moore is Executive Director there, and he said the residents and staff are still talking about the great worship experience.

10 people ministered at Godwin Park, handing out lemonade, cookies and information about WBC.

16 people prepared lunch for all the workers, plus delivered water to various ministry sites.

26 people served a meal to the homeless at The Beacon downtown.
52 people prayed for Faith in Action, our community, church and nation, in a prayer meeting in our sanctuary.

I also must thank the ladies who handled our child care, David Nance for taking pictures at all the ministry sites, and LuAnn Knoblauch for getting us our T-shirts at cost.

As you can see, we had a very productive day of ministry. Church members of all ages worked together to share the love of Christ with many facets of our community. Thank you, WBC, for being willing to do something new. More importantly, I thank you that you were willing to—for one Sunday—not go to church, but BE the church.