We arrived in Middlesboro yesterday afternoon in time to check in at the hotel and get to our 5:00 p.m. orientation meeting at Old Yellow Creek Baptist Church. There are 140 volunteers from 12 states and plenty of work for everyone. Before the evening ended we had met the pastor, Ray Spicer, and his wife, Lois, from Riverside Baptist Church. We will be baking cookies at Riverside on Monday and Tuesday and delivering them to area schools.
At Bro. Spicer’s invitation we elected to attend church at Riverside and we were glad we did so. What a lovely group of people! It is a small church (30 in Sunday School last week), but they have a beautiful building and a wonderful outdoor pavilion. Their pianist wasn’t there, so I was invited to play for the service. Bro. Spicer preached about the cross and unveiled a rustic cross made by one of the church members. It was built from hemlock from a 100 year old barn.
After church we rushed back to Old Yellow Creek BC, hoping that they had not run out of fried chicken. Not to worry: there was plenty of wonderful food for the entire group of volunteers. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, and returned to sort and package the donations that volunteers had brought (hygiene items, notebook paper, and children’s socks and underwear). The donations filled ten 8’ tables! Top priority was given to packing donations for Kayjay, a town that was hit hard by flooding in June. The remaining donations will be distributed through the ministry center and the schools.
Among the volunteers who will be working in Kayjay is a large group from Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. One of the members assured me with a smile that they were experienced at mud-out!
No comments:
Post a Comment