When members of the youth group at Heath Baptist Church, Glencoe, in Etowah Baptist Association, arrived at church Oct. 5, they appeared a bit disheveled and even a bit dirty. But no one seemed to mind.
That’s because the morning service was the culmination of MPact Alabama.
Held Oct. 3–5 and sponsored by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions office of collegiate and student ministries, MPact Alabama is a weekend for students grade 7 through college to impact people in their local community through acts of mercy and love.
“MPact Alabama helps students understand that the Great Commission begins at home and that there are many, many needs right here in our own communities and state,” said Mike Nuss, director of the office of collegiate and student ministries.
The youth at Heath Baptist were able to experience the needs of the homeless population firsthand.
“Sleeping a night in a box gave us a slight taste of what many people have to do every night,” said church member Heather Diggs.
Besides their night outside, however, the youth also took part in the kinds of activities that have become symbolic of MPact weekend, such as visiting nursing homes, cleaning up the yards of the elderly and above all, witnessing to members of the community.
Like many who participate in MPact, Diggs found that in the process of impacting her community, she was impacted as well.
“While visiting with various people in the community, we met a woman named Phyllis who is bedridden but is on fire for Jesus,” Diggs said.
“And she is not afraid to share Him with you and what He has done for her. It was such a blessing to see someone in the state she is in and still be able to find joy and praise Jesus.”
The Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) got involved in MPact by holding a fifth-quarter type of event following the UAB Blazers football game Oct. 2.
“As an outreach event, it was principally about providing an opportunity for students to bring some of their non-Christian friends just to give them a chance to be among a group of Christian friends,” said Bill Morrison, UAB’s senior Baptist campus minister.
Other BCM groups also found ways to participate in the weekend.
At Jacksonville State University, students held a free “kindness” car wash on campus in order to help share the gospel. When asked by drivers why they were giving a free car wash, they responded, “Because Jesus loves you and we do, too.”
At the University of Alabama in Huntsville, students worked through Huntsville’s Emergency Home Repair Program to paint and repair the home of an elderly resident.
“I think MPact weekend is a great way to keep people reminded about local missions,” Morrison said. “We’re pretty good at getting people overseas. Whether it be in college or high school, we send a lot of people to do missions work in foreign countries, but MPact weekend reminds us of the importance of local ministry as well.”
For more information about MPact Alabama 2009, contact Nuss at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 276, or mnuss@alsbom.org.
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