ONE DAY: SERVE LOCAL ENGAGES CHURCHES WITH COMMUNITIES

BY CLINT RITCHIE ASSISTANT MISSIONS TEAM LEADER

Can you imagine what would happen if all ABSC churches engaged their communities in missions and evangelism on the same day? A glimpse of this has been realized the past three years through One Day: Serve Local, where approximately 6,000 Arkansas Baptists have been mobilized in their local communities, resulting in at least 351 professions of faith!

The next opportunity for statewide impact through One Day: Serve

Part of the beauty of One Day: Serve Local is that the local church determines its areas of service based upon the needs of the community and the gifts and passions of the people in the church. A good question to ask is: “What can our church do to make a difference in the community?” The answers do not have to be huge, complicated strategies that require a big budget; they can be as simple as recruiting a team of volunteers to serve a meal in the community, collecting supplies for a local food pantry, organizing a backpack giveaway for a lowincome area, or even hosting a traditional egg hunt. Churches have been successful doing door-to-door evangelism and prayer walking, while others see lives changed through connections at newer ministries, such as a “No Sell Yard Sale” or sports camp. Regardless of the specific ministries hosted, each ministry can provide opportunities for both Gospel conversations and personal invitations to your Easter service, where the Gospel will be clearly shared. The possibilities to serve locally are endless.

The ABSC Missions Team provides free resources to churches that register for One Day: Serve Local, including evangelism tools, creative ideas for serving, and follow-up training. You can register your church now at absc.org/ servelocal.

Leading your church to join others across our state on April 1 for One Day: Serve Local can assist the church to build relationships and demonstrate God’s love with your neighbors, which will provide opportunities for Gospel conversations and church invitations. As followers of Jesus, we have been given the privilege of sharing the Good News with the world, starting in our own community. When we intentionally interact with the people around us, the impact is eternal!