Alabama Baptists throughout the state have chosen to turn the summer slump into summer service with ministries ranging from missions trips abroad to block parties at home.
Among them are members of churches in the Trussville area: First Baptist Church, Trussville; NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville; Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville; and CrossPoint Baptist Church, Argo. Though working individually, all four churches have been working toward the same goal — to reach families and individuals.
First, Trussville, kicked off the month of July with a bang. Teaming with the city of Trussville and the area chamber of commerce, the church sponsored the inaugural Trussville Freedom Celebration July 4 with nearly 7,000 people in attendance.
The celebration featured food vendors, inflatables and music by Three on a String, capped by a fireworks display.
“Although the celebration was church-sponsored, it was way beyond a church fellowship,” said Lance Pate, associate pastor of First, Trussville. “It was a gift to our community, showing the love of Christ for fellow citizens and our love for country.”
The church continued reaching out through Operation Go, which involved special acts of service by Sunday School classes, families and other small groups during July.
Services included car washes, nursing home visits, a Saturday cookout for city firefighters and doing maintenance on the building of Trussville Ecumenical Assistance Ministry, an interdenominational ministry that distributes food and clothing to area residents in need.
NorthPark Baptist’s summer outreach engaged its community through a series of about 10 block parties hosted by church members in area neighborhoods. The church distributed invitations throughout each neighborhood and provided carnival-style refreshments.
“People will come to something like that, and most of the block parties draw between 50 and 150 people,” said Sam Hallman, NorthPark’s associate pastor of evangelism and missions. He noted that the primary goal of these parties is “relational evangelism.”
“Meeting the neighbors opens doors for individual opportunities to create new relationships, share the gospel and exhibit our faith and values through our lifestyle,” Hallman explained.
Members of Deerfoot Baptist have reached individuals and families by learning how to help other area ministries, according to David Nelson, Deerfoot’s minister of education and administration.
One such ministry is The Lovelady Center, a faith-based program for women who are former prisoners, victims of domestic violence or placed there under court orders.
Working through the church’s Women on Mission, “we’re collecting clothing and other items for the residents” of the center, Nelson said. “We’re planning to get a speaker to come out and tell us more about what their needs are.”
CrossPoint Baptist has been focused on summer outreach through ministries for children, teens and adults. The church’s new recreational facility has been opened to local schools to host basketball camps, providing opportunities to reach out to children and parents. The facility is also used to host a summer, communitywide three-on-three men’s basketball league.
Other summer programs have included working with Habitat for Humanity to help build new homes in the Fultondale area and participating in missions trips across the nation.
“People are looking for that change of pace, and it’s exciting just to be able to engage them in different ways,” said Chris Howell, CrossPoint’s minister to adults. “There are opportunities in summer that just aren’t available other times of the year.”
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