In 2019, a team of volunteers from Elmore Baptist Association helped the Bruce Outreach Center in Westernport, Maryland, distribute more than 300 backpacks at a block party where more than 400 people heard the gospel.
The association’s longstanding partnership with the community-based outreach center and church plant has helped church planter and pastor Steffan Carr engage with families in one of the poorest counties in the U.S., Carr said.
The partnership also has encouraged spiritual growth among the center’s congregation of mostly young Christians. It was at a backpacks outreach event that some Bruce Center members shared the gospel for the first time, “probably more times than most Christians do in a lifetime,” Carr said.
Encouragement
The partnership’s support has helped Carr personally to remain faithful in the long term, he said.
“There is some kind of a spiritual/emotional B-12 shot that comes when you realize that you have people who are vested in you, even from a distance,” Carr said. “You’re not alone. You’re not by yourself.”
Pastor David Jones of Prospect Baptist Church, Eclectic, agreed. He said the partnership has been a catalyst, shifting the small, rural congregation from an inward to a more outward focus. Working alongside larger association churches enables Prospect members to accomplish areas of ministry they could not do alone, he added.
“You really get buy-in when you go and put hands on,” Jones said. “Our folks find great joy coming together and serving those that are in need. There’s a level of excitement, and it goes beyond internal programs and facilities.”
Jones has witnessed spiritual growth within the church as a result of the missions focused partnership.
“You find a transition of heart and spirit that says: ‘Hey, church really isn’t about me. It’s about me serving the church and serving others,’” Jones said.
Many partnerships have blossomed in the months following backpack collections. In 2018, David and Amelia Nelson were looking online for a short-term missions project for Cave Spring Baptist Church, Priceville, when they came across the Christmas backpacks website and learned they could partner directly with a ministry site.
Meanwhile, Gulf Coast Baptist Church, Golden Meadows, Louisiana, had not yet heard about the backpacks ministry, but the small church plant needed a partner to help them connect with the predominantly Catholic residents of the Louisiana bayou.
Through the partnership, the Nelsons helped with a backpack distribution event that year and witnessed firsthand the deep poverty and lostness of the region.
“We live in the Bible belt,” said Amelia Nelson. “I thought everyone knew about Jesus and the Bible. My heart broke when I learned of a family there that had never been to church or heard the gospel.”
Cave Spring members returned the next year to help with construction projects, including upgrading the church’s kitchen.
Focused on mission
Gulf Coast pastor Shane Terrebonne said the partnership helped the young church remain focused on the mission of serving their community while building meaningful personal relationships and fellowship.
“Sometimes we’re kind of isolated,” Terrebonne said.
Pickens Baptist Association churches have been partnering for three years to accomplish their annual backpacks emphasis.
Janet Estis, the association’s WMU director, said the backpacks ministry builds a cooperative spirit on many levels.
“We have gotten to know others in our association better as we have worked alongside them, planning and being part of an evangelistic block party/Christmas backpacks distribution event,” Estis said.
Partnerships have opened doors for missions at home, Estis added. After one trip, Pickens churches supplied backpacks and school supplies to students at Aliceville Elementary School.
“There are always areas where we can serve, both in our own communities or beyond. We just have to open our hearts and hands and be willing to go where God leads us,” she said.
To learn more about partnership opportunities through Alabama WMU, contact Pat Ingram with Alabama WMU at 334-613-2292 or visit alabamawmu.org/christmasbackpacks.
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