On Sept. 11, members of First Baptist Church and community groups will dedicate themselves to a day of service. On Sept. 12, First Baptist will host a pig roast/potluck at noon, and a worship service at 11 a.m. that will focus on celebrating the service project.
In 2009, several members of First Baptist Church of Fowler met with a ministry and mission coach about seeking ways to be more visible and active in the community. Through that meeting the congregation chose to sponsor a weekend of service to the Fowler community. That week of service was titled the Backyard Mission Project. From the beginning, this weekend was planned as a time in which the people of First Baptist would simply serve others in the name of Jesus. The people demonstrate faith with their hands, feet and hearts for loving and serving others in the community. They would invite others to do the same.
The first Backyard Mission Project was a huge success. In that first year of the project, several churches affiliated with American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains joined First Baptist Fowler to help with the projects. The American Baptists also provided a grant that helped make the project possible. Several people from the Fowler community volunteered to help with the project as well. In addition to this, there were a number of businesses in Fowler that offered financial support. The budget for the project last year was divided evenly between sidewalk renovations which would benefit the whole community, and smaller projects that allowed for home maintenance and repair for individual citizens. In total the church completed 51 projects for 40 households in one weekend, which included sidewalk renovations for five residences!
As the leadership of the Backyard Mission Project evaluated last year’s project, they saw a lot for which to be thankful. So many people who participated, and folks who just watched the project were enthusiastic about the work that was done and the spirit in which it was done. Several people said that the project needed to be an annual thing. Thus, it was decided to conduct the next project on Sept. 11 - 12.
The leadership team also saw some things that could use some improvement and better focus. Few people were able to participate for the whole project last year. Thus, the projects are focused on one Saturday of work, and a Sunday of celebration this year. Also, the people of First Baptist felt the sustainability of the Backyard Mission Project depended on sharing more of the project with our community. Thus, several Fowler community organizations have been intentionally invited to participate in the project. Grant funding was received from the Fox Foundation instead of the American Baptists to continue with the intentional movement toward encouraging local ownership of and investment in the project.
In the next month, the people at First Baptist could the community’s help to make the second Backyard Mission Project a success. First, they are seeking nominations from people in the community regarding what projects need to be done. People can nominate themselves, or friends and neighbors who could use a helping hand. To nominate someone, contact First Baptist Church. The church body is eager to have as many nominations as possible.
Also, there is a meeting with different community group leaders on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. Group leaders who would like their organization to participate in the project can come to the meeting in the basement of First Baptist Church.
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On Sept. 11, members of First Baptist Church and community groups will dedicate themselves to a day of service. On Sept. 12, First Baptist will host a pig roast/potluck at noon, and a worship service at 11 a.m. that will focus on celebrating the service project.
In 2009, several members of First Baptist Church of Fowler met with a ministry and mission coach about seeking ways to be more visible and active in the community. Through that meeting the congregation chose to sponsor a weekend of service to the Fowler community. That week of service was titled the Backyard Mission Project. From the beginning, this weekend was planned as a time in which the people of First Baptist would simply serve others in the name of Jesus. The people demonstrate faith with their hands, feet and hearts for loving and serving others in the community. They would invite others to do the same.
The first Backyard Mission Project was a huge success. In that first year of the project, several churches affiliated with American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains joined First Baptist Fowler to help with the projects. The American Baptists also provided a grant that helped make the project possible. Several people from the Fowler community volunteered to help with the project as well. In addition to this, there were a number of businesses in Fowler that offered financial support. The budget for the project last year was divided evenly between sidewalk renovations which would benefit the whole community, and smaller projects that allowed for home maintenance and repair for individual citizens. In total the church completed 51 projects for 40 households in one weekend, which included sidewalk renovations for five residences!
As the leadership of the Backyard Mission Project evaluated last year’s project, they saw a lot for which to be thankful. So many people who participated, and folks who just watched the project were enthusiastic about the work that was done and the spirit in which it was done. Several people said that the project needed to be an annual thing. Thus, it was decided to conduct the next project on Sept. 11 - 12.
The leadership team also saw some things that could use some improvement and better focus. Few people were able to participate for the whole project last year. Thus, the projects are focused on one Saturday of work, and a Sunday of celebration this year. Also, the people of First Baptist felt the sustainability of the Backyard Mission Project depended on sharing more of the project with our community. Thus, several Fowler community organizations have been intentionally invited to participate in the project. Grant funding was received from the Fox Foundation instead of the American Baptists to continue with the intentional movement toward encouraging local ownership of and investment in the project.
In the next month, the people at First Baptist could the community’s help to make the second Backyard Mission Project a success. First, they are seeking nominations from people in the community regarding what projects need to be done. People can nominate themselves, or friends and neighbors who could use a helping hand. To nominate someone, contact First Baptist Church. The church body is eager to have as many nominations as possible.
Also, there is a meeting with different community group leaders on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. Group leaders who would like their organization to participate in the project can come to the meeting in the basement of First Baptist Church.
