Ministry on the Margins at Blackstone COG

We came to Blackstone Church of God in October of 2012. At the time, 14 people were attending. Slowly, we have grown to a group of 40. This number is small, but it has been exciting to see what God can do with a group of people who are dedicated to ministry.

One of our primary community outreaches is our Helping Hands Food Bank. Twice a month, we distribute food to as many as 50 families. God has blessed us to be able to meet a fundamental need in our community.

We have also had several community days where we have lunch on the grounds with live music, games and hand out school supplies. We have given out bagged lunches during the summer to the children in our community.

In 2016, God opened the door for us to start a bus ministry. A van was donated, and we were able to pick up children and adults for church. The bus ran until Covid hit, but we are looking forward to resuming this ministry soon.

Directly across from the church is a nursing home. God also opened doors for ministry there. We have taken our entire church over for Sunday service and have as many as 10 of the residents come over regularly to worship with us. This nursing home ministry is close to our hearts, and we are anxiously awaiting worshipping together soon.

There have been a few positives that have come out of the Covid shutdown. When we were closed, we were unable to have a drive-in church due to limited space. To stay connected, we set up several small groups. These groups developed deep and lasting relationships. We also began Facebook live and have continued to use this ministry to reach those who are not comfortable worshipping in person right now.

There are exciting things in store for this summer. We are going to be giving away backpacks filled with school supplies for students. In addition, our 1800 square foot community center/fellowship hall will be completed. God has blessed us to be able to complete the building debt-free! We give all the glory to God and look forward to using it for His kingdom.

— Pastor Edward “Buster” Madison
Blackstone Church of God