Ministry on the Margins at Floyd COG

For the Floyd Church of God, the year 2020 meant new visions and big dreams. It was our year; folks were praying and seeking the face of God. This year we were to become the church that God desired us to be. We all had a vision of new outreach ministries, children’s ministries, church growth, and so forth. However, our “20/20 vision” started to become blurry with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With new recommendations and restrictions on gatherings, how were we going to see our vision to completion? Could our dreams become reality?

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, political confusion, and a seemingly divided nation, we at the Floyd Church of God refused to lose our vision, cancel the mission, and forfeit the harvest. To most, it seemed as if the church was going to shut down, but we were getting ready in new ways to break out beyond the walls. God had a will, and he was going to provide a way.

The provided way was outside the normalcy of church. It certainly was not what we were used to, but certainly, it worked. Like most, we had parking lot services. Sure, it took extra effort to set up an outdoor sanctuary, but God truly blessed. Right in the middle of a pandemic, we noticed that the church began to grow! Our "blurred vision" began to sharpen as we realized the truth in Matthew 19:26, “With God all things are possible.”

We were excited about what we were witnessing in the church. However, what about outreach? How were we to engage in outreach and impact the community when everyone was socially distancing? God had a will, and he was going to provide a way.

We had a desire to offer a free meal to our community. But due to the restrictions, we could not host a dine-in meal, so we looked at what restaurants were doing and decided a free drive-thru community meal would be perfect.

We launched our first drive-thru community meal in April. It was a rainy day, and we weren't sure what the outcome would be, but we were blessed to serve 72 free meals. At our second community meal, we not only provided drive-thru service, but we also offered delivery for those who did not have transportation. This time we were blessed to serve 104 free meals. The free meals were only a small act, but it made a big impact on the community.

We have big plans for future outreach. This year we will be starting a community care package program where the church will provide a care package with essential items for those in need. Along with the care package program, we will be launching an Adopt-a-Family for Christmas program. In this program, we will be working with those throughout our community to locate suffering families and provide a true Christmas experience with a meal, presents, and essential items.

This year we have decided that we must not allow what is happening around us distract us from the harvest. We have been commissioned to do Kingdom work. We must lift up our eyes and look on the fields, for they are white and already to harvest.

Todd DeBord
Associate Pastor
Floyd Church of God