Spreading the word of God
When Pastor Bill Barnett served in Ohio several years ago, his church started an outreach that generated plenty of support and enthusiasm throughout the community.
He’s hoping for similar results in Canonsburg, where members of First Baptist Church will distribute free Bibles Saturday to residents in neighborhoods near the church in the northern end of town.
“We ran out of Bibles in Ohio, and people came to the church saying, ‘Can I have one?'” Barnett recalled. “That was amazing. It was wonderful to do that.”
First Baptist adopted the same mission project as Barnett’s previous congregation to celebrate its yearlong theme, “Connecting the Church to the Community and the Community to Christ.” The church also received Mayor David Rhome’s blessing – and a permit to distribute the Bibles. The congregation has mapped out where they will be going door to door.
“We wanted to reach out to the community before Easter and give them a copy of the word of God,” Barnett said. “We are not trying to proselytize; we want to give people Bibles to show them the importance of knowing what Jesus Christ came for and died for. We want to let them know we’re here for them.”
Money for the Bibles was raised internally by the small congregation of 60, which donated enough cash to purchase 191 Bibles. If there is a demand for more Bibles, Barnett said the congregation may be able to order more.
This is not the first time First Baptist has reached out to the community.
Last year, the church held a concert on the lawn that drew participation from area businesses and residents.
“We have several people who are gifted in singing. We wanted to give the community culture on the lawn,” Barnett said. “Canonsburg was hit hard by the economic crisis, and everybody has come together. It was a good afternoon.”
Barnett, who celebrated his three-year anniversary at First Baptist on March 4, came from a farming community in Ohio and said, “I am still expanding my comfort zone.”
“Here, people are very friendly and outgoing,” Barnett said. “I go up and down the street, and people are always saying ‘hi.’ We’ve had very good support from the community. We just want to be friends.”