God has been so good to us! The year 2020 arrived and we had a lot of plans on the church calendar, but all of that was rearranged to God’s calendar. I believe, Wilderness Creek Church of God, is fulfilling the Great Commission and advancing the Kingdom of God in Bland County. Erin and I answered the call in 2008 to lead the people of Wilderness Creek Church of God. It has been an experience that I wouldn’t take anything for. God has used us to start many outreach projects in the last few years that would benefit not only our church, but the community as well.

One of our largest outreach ministries has been in partnership with other local churches. Pre-pandemic, we were able to hold Bible Club classes at the local elementary school each Wednesday after school. We were able to reach many students in grades Pre-K thru 6th. Each week a different church provided a snack, Bible lesson, craft, worship opportunity, and game for the students. Partnering with other churches to reach students that didn’t have a church was the greatest impact that we could have asked for. During this program, we encouraged students to memorize the Lord’s Prayer. Once they could recite it, we awarded them with a Bible with their name on it. Bibles were provided by our local Gideon chapter. This outreach was not our own, but a coalition that we were a part of. We are so thankful for the opportunity!

Earlier this year, we restarted our men’s group. We meet for breakfast one Saturday a month. These men have a desire to be together and a desire to serve God. We are blessed to have men that want to share the gospel and their stories of faith in God. The Wilderness Creek Women had their first-ever conference in October, where many women were ministered to in this half-day worship and word service.

While the pandemic changed plans for many people, one of ours was accelerated, livestreaming our services. Earlier in the year, I had shared with the church a desire to Livestream. We found out quickly this would be another ministry to reach people that were not able to attend church in person. It would also reach people that had not been to our church or any other church before. We also held drive-in services during the summer months. It was great! People in the community could hear what was happening at church by joining us in the parking lot. There were even some that sat on their porch each service to hear the Word of God. The purchase of an FM transmitter helped spread the Word of God even further.

Each year, our church participates in Operation Christmas Child. Even with the pandemic and things being tight for many families, we were still able to prepare boxes and send them to Samaritan’s Purse to reach countless children. I am thankful for people that desire to give of their time, talent, and treasure to send gifts to children and families while helping to spread the gospel story. What an impact! Praise God!

The most recent outreach project that we are believing God to use is our Little Library/Pantry. God placed the idea on our hearts after seeing how it helped other communities. We wanted to help people that are hungry-both spiritually and physically! While small and simple, we want to show compassion, generosity, and trust to our community by supplying a few items to meet their needs. In the pantry/library, people can find non-perishable food items, daily essential items, and most importantly, God’s Word and devotionals for both children and adults.

While there have been uncertain times, we have put our faith and trust in the Lord and He has provided and made a way for us to reach even more people than we could have ever imagined. I give God all the praise for the ministries and partners that we have in sharing the Gospel around the world. We realize that we can’t do it all, but we can do our part.

Little is much when God is in it!

Philip Buttery
Pastor
Wilderness Creek Church of God

Ministry on the Margins at Wilderness Creek