Valleydale Baptist assists Ensley church

Recently, more than 30 members of Birmingham’s Valleydale Baptist Church spent a weekend cleaning the food donation and mission facility at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Ensley.
   
The group, consisting mostly of single adults, scrubbed floors and walls, rearranged supplies and cleared a playground area at the church among other things.
   
“I have about a 12-member church, and a lot of them are elderly people,” said Leroy Ezell, pastor of Mount Calvary. “To have people come out to help is outstanding, magnificent.”
   
Despite its small numbers, every month the Mount Calvary congregation feeds and provides much-needed supplies for more than 200 homeless and elderly people from the Ensley community with assistance from the United Way food bank.
   
After being homeless and suffering a heart attack, stroke and brain aneurysm, Ezell knows how important it is to support the less fortunate. In the beginning of his ministry, he used money from his fixed income to buy food and supplies for the needy.
   
The goal of the Mount Calvary ministry centers around Matthew 25:35–36 (KJV) which states, “For I was hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”
   
“Some years ago, there was a guy around here who died from eating out of the dumpster,” Ezell said. “After he died, the Lord started whipping me about feeding people, and we started off feeding homeless people. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wants us and all Christians to be about that.”
   
The connection between the two churches began when Valleydale member Kendrick Washington donated computers to the mission.
   
“My company was giving away old computers, so I tried to find people who might need them,” he said. “I found the name of the mission in the phone book. Little did I know that God had more in store for me than just delivering computers.”
   
Washington shared his vision with a few ministers at Valleydale and was put in touch with Valleydale member Amarilys Perdomo to organize a group of volunteers. With the cleaning completed, the two plan to launch the renovation and beautification phases of the project.
   
“Mount Calvary is in serious need of repairs,” Perdomo said. “We can use any volunteers and their resources whether it’s financial, through donations or simply putting a tool belt on and helping us.”