The members of Chisholm Heights Baptist Church, Florence, were ready to start reaping the harvest, but they had a tough row to hoe.
The small congregation — averaging 20 on Sundays — had a fellowship hall in serious need of construction work and no money to fix it up. On top of that, the pastor died recently and the pulpit still stands empty.
“They only had four or five people coming in January, and they have revived in the last few months and started to really grow,” said Eddy Garner, director of missions for Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association. “But they still couldn’t afford what they needed. They really needed some help.”
Then 30 teenagers changed their world.
When more than 150 youth hit the Florence area June 9 for a World Changers project, Chisholm Heights wasn’t even on the map at first.
“The groups started working so hard and finishing so many projects that the project coordinator said they needed more places to work,” Garner said.
And Garner knew just the place.
Having 30 teens buzzing around the church for a week was “a big shot in the arm” for Chisholm Heights, he said. The team painted the building, put down suspended ceilings and installed the air conditioner.
In addition to the building projects, Forest Hills Baptist Church — a sister Colbert-Lauderdale Association church in Florence — held a backyard Bible club at Chisholm Heights that same week to boost the church’s outreach efforts.
“Not only did they (Chisholm Heights members) need the physical help but they needed for people just to be out there, too,” Garner said. “The teenagers’ hard work let them know that people care about them.”
Chisholm Heights was just one of more than 100 sites worked on by the approximately 2,000 youth volunteering through World Changers in Alabama this summer.
About 24,000 total World Changers volunteers blitzed the United States, including Alaska and Puerto Rico, and Canada this year, according to John W. Bailey, World Changers coordinator for the North American Mission Board.
Through World Changers this summer, communities saw “hundreds of faithful students who give sacrificially and love unconditionally in the name of the Lord,” Bailey said.
- More than 150 youth worked in 12 different groups in the Florence area June 9–16, including the group that worked at the Chisholm Heights site. “It was a big, big week for us,” Garner said.
- About 800 youth poured into Birmingham across three weeks — June 2–9, June 9–16 and July 7–14. Thirty-nine Birmingham Baptist Association churches and 10 other churches in the area prepared lunches for the crews as they replaced roofs and painted houses for elderly and low-income families.
“Every house is different — it’s always more work than you can do, but you do as much as you possibly can,” said Gary Grooms of Tomball, Texas, a crew leader in Birmingham. “These teens work hard to help the residents as much as they can in a week.”
- About 220 youth worked in the Talladega area June 16–23, replacing 14 roofs, painting two homes and building a handicap ramp.
“There were 34 presentations of the gospel made by the World Changers, and 32 accepted Christ,” said Luther Williams, director of missions for Coosa River Baptist Association. “That’s what it’s all about.”
- More than 300 youth blitzed Huntsville June 23–30, working on 21 homes, holding two backyard Bible clubs and serving at a soup kitchen.
“But the big story was salvations, not the number of kids,” said Rob Peavy, church and community development director for Madison Baptist Association. “We had 46 salvations during the week, and the gospel was presented more than 200 times.”
- More than 200 youth converged on Anniston July 14–21, working at about 18 different sites.
“It’s been a very successful week — the kids have worked hard,” said Sid Nichols, director of missions for Calhoun Baptist Association. “It’s always a blessing to see what God does through these teenagers on mission.”
- That same week, more than 300 youth arrived in Mobile to work on 22 residences.
And while youth were pouring into the state, many Alabama Baptist youth were headed to other states to return the favor, such as the 21 youth from Centreville Baptist Church who headed to Tampa, Fla., June 23 to do roofing, painting and yardwork.
“It was a really good trip with a big impact,” said Scott Hunter, Centreville Baptist’s youth minister. “It was life changing for all of them. One said he couldn’t go back to being the way he used to be now because his life was completely different.”
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