SERVE EVANSVILLE UPDATE
About this time last year, Pastor Bryan and I met with a representative of the North American Mission Board – SEND Network. He proposed to us that there was a very large missional opportunity for Oakhill to participate in 2025. So, Pastor Bryan and I met with Pastor Alan and could all see the lasting impact of such a mission-focused event could have on our community, our church, and the gospel being advanced in Evansville. I could see how this missional opportunity could also further strengthen our Community Partnerships. It was called the SEND RELIEF SERVE TOUR, and Evansville was one of the stops.
Not only was it to be one of the stops, but Oakhill was also to be what they call a HUB church where projects would flow out of, and ultimately we would be the location where all of the volunteers would come together at the end to celebrate the work Jesus empowered us to do over a two-day period.
SEND RELIEF is a partnership between the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board. It serves as the global compassion ministry of the Southern Baptists. SEND RELIEF responds to crises and strengthens vulnerable communities worldwide by addressing both physical and spiritual needs in the name of Jesus. Disaster relief is a vital component of the Southern Baptist Send Relief network. Send Relief, a compassion ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), works in partnership with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) to address both natural and man-made disasters.
I received the executive summary from Sammy Simmons, the National Projects Director after SEND Evansville occurred, detailing the final totals reported by all the volunteers. A total of 65 churches from 14 states participated in Serve Evansville, resulting in at least 1,170 gospel conversations. Oakhill hosted the Serve Tour rally on Saturday night, where volunteers learned about partnership opportunities from the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana, the Southwestern Indiana Baptist Association, Disaster Relief, and Send Relief. Indiana Disaster Relief provided lunches for the volunteers and prepared a BBQ dinner for the rally, which exemplified a strong partnership.
A total of 41 projects were completed in Evansville, which included projects at eight schools, six churches, and 27 community projects. Additionally, the team was able to bless a bi-vocational pastor by building a
much-needed deck on his home. Over 750 volunteers participated, serving more than 13,600 people in just two days. There were nearly 1,200 Gospel conversations, and 36 individuals prayed to receive Christ. The team logged a total of 3,800 construction hours in all of these projects.
I heard countless testimonies about how God was moving during some of the block parties. One activity involved “grill walks,” where volunteers cook food on a grill in a specific location and offer it to people passing by. This creates an opportunity to share the gospel with them. I learned that on Friday alone, during the SERVE event, one of these grill walks resulted in six people praying to receive Christ. Additionally, members of our church who participated in intentional evangelism were so encouraged by their experiences that they are now eager to lead more efforts of evangelism in our city.
Serve Evansville provided us a glimpse of the gospel impact that can occur when the Church, with the Lord’s help, diligently works to spread the message of Jesus beyond its walls. We need more laborers in this effort, as the fields are ripe for harvest. Many people in every walk of life are feeling helpless and hurting, and they need the gospel message. It is important as a church that we always have more and more laborers who are willing to share the Good News of Jesus. One way we can achieve this is through prayer, as we are reminded to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt 9:38). Praise God for the opportunity for many churches in our association to engage with so many people in our city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
