|
Listen to article
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
MANSFIELD — While the area has experienced a cornacopia of blessings this past year, blessings are not only meant to be received, but also given say area pastors. Thursday morning clergy from five local churches partnered with City Police and Fire Departments to distribute two hundred turkeys to area households in need.
Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker coordinated the endeavor thru help of an anonymous company seeking to bring smiles to families for Thanksgiving. Five pastors distributed twenty turkeys each while personnel from the police and fire departments each distributed fifty.
One of the participating clergy said the turkeys could not have come at a better time.
“We gave out all twenty (turkeys) this past weekend,” said Pastor Dave Guild of Mansfield Foursquare. “I had a veteran randomly call me two hours before I was supposed to pick up the turkeys. He needed meal assistance for the holiday season and I just happended to be able to help him.”
Reverend Guild’s congregation has a food distribution ministry during the summer and fall. Regarding the Mayor’s request for help he commented, “This was a great opportunity for people to think of who they can bless; it causes a chain reaction of people thinking about others. We have a mail carrier in our congregation who knew of someone on his route he could give a turkey to.”
The past two years, Reverend Randy Randy Raynes of Mansfield Fellowship Baptist and Reverend Mark Cobb of Providence Baptist have both participated in the turkey distribution. Raynes says the local faith community has a reputation of being mission oriented and city officials are aware of this.
“The Richland Community Prayer Network found that not only did area churches provide valuable support ministries to the local community between the years of 2014-2017, our goodwill ambassador churches also supported missions to an astounding ninety-three different nations around the globe. This was during a time period when our area was the seventh most economically-challenged metropolitan region in the nation.”
Lead Pastor Aaron William’s of Maddox Memorial COGIC hosted a community service the night before the turkey distribution to address grief many experience during the holiday season.
“People need healing from grief and food can help draw people together to foster relationships. GOD needs to be the center of those relationships and free turkey meals can certainly be a magnet to reconciliation and deliverance that can take place. It is love in action.”
‘I think there is a benefit of the church working together with the city because there wouldn’t be a church without the city, and there wouldn’t be much of a city without the church. We should be working hand in hand.”
Pastor Russell Stanford
ALl Believers in Christ
Pastor Russell Stanford of All Believers in Christ commented, ‘I think there is a benefit of the church working together with the city because there wouldn’t be a church without the city, and there wouldn’t be much of a city without the church. We should be working hand in hand.”
See related article:
