FOR THE LOVE OF A SOUL

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” John 3:15 

In loving and caring for souls, there are many ways to give of ourselves to reach the lost and the dying. As we care for souls and love them as Jesus loves, we are fulfilling the words of Jesus, “Go, and do thou likewise.” I wish to share with you what the Antioch, Tennessee, church is doing for the “love of a soul.” Let us be inspired to increase our outreach efforts, allowing God to move us out into this lost world sharing the message of Christ and His Church! Sharon Griffin, General WMB Coord.

HARVESTING HOPE 

“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

About 2 years ago, I found myself becoming comfortable. Comfortable with what was very normal for me. Attending church every Sunday and Wednesday and having great fellowship with my brothers and sisters in the Lord. The Lord began to convict my heart that while I was very comfortable with all of this, there were people all around me, in our community, who desperately needed the love of Jesus. There is a lady in our area who has had a street ministry for many years and welcomed anyone to volunteer and help her. I decided to help. What I saw on the streets was very eye opening, and I thought, “shame on me” for allowing myself to become so comfortable. After prayer and seeking the Lord, He began to speak to my heart that we, The Church of God at Antioch, Tennessee, need to get out of our four walls and do more. I shared my heart with my pastor, and he supported this completely. This is when Harvesting Hope began. I thought the best place to start would be to feed the less fortunate in the community around our local church. So, we got to work. We went through the necessary steps to ensure we were compliant with serving food from our fellowship hall and contacted a local food donation bank in our area. We had a large sign made to display in front of the church, so that we could be sure it would “attract” people to come. We went door to door right around our local church and shared what we were doing—that we had hot dinners—and invited them to come. That first night, one person showed up. Although one soul is always worth the effort, I felt sure that we would have many, many, people to come.

I knew this inspiration was from the Lord so I was confused when it didn’t turn out the way “I” thought it would.

I remember vividly standing in front of the church, somewhat disappointed, and I began to pray, “Lord, please send the people” and VERY clearly I heard in my spirit the Lord speak to me…. “And the lord said unto the servant, GO OUT into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

I knew in that moment that the Lord was directing us to go to them. So, we did! And, have been for the past 2 years. Every first Wednesday of the month, we prepare a meal, (most of what we make comes from our local donation food bank, that we get for free), meet at the church to put to-go boxes together, load up our cars and go out. We typically give out 100-125 box plates each time. We go out into the community and share food with those who need it. We have made relationships with some of these wonderful souls. They look for us to come. It is evident that some of these individuals are in desperate need for Jesus. Some of the places we go to are very poor conditions, and the enemy has such a hold on their lives, But I’m confident that God is doing a work through our efforts. I’m confident that heaven holds the record of the lives being touched through this ministry. We have been able to join hands with some and have prayer. We began this ministry to be blessing, but we have been the ones who have been so blessed. I encourage you to pray about a ministry such as this. If you want to do more, if you want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, I encourage you to GO OUT. There are many, many, souls waiting for us.

Tammy Fox—Antioch, Tennessee