Northern Lights

December 17- The Pittsburg Church effectively demonstrated that love is indeed an action word by engaging in community service. The church members, though small in number, proved that with the Holy Spirit, they could indeed be impactful and mighty in the service of the Master.

Under the direction of Joyce Richardson, coordinator for women’s ministry, the church members were divided into three teams, each with a specific service area.

The first team prayed and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead the way as they entered a local Walmart and gave shoppers $25 gift certificates. Team members greeted the shoppers by saying that God loves them and they wanted to share God’s blessing with them. Many recipients were deeply touched, tears were shed, and some confessed that this was a miracle! A total of 30 gift certificates were given out.

The second team, carrying beautiful fruit basket gifts, visited sick and homebound members. The group prayed with them and provided much-appreciated fellowship. The message was clear; these people are loved, important, and not forgotten.

The third team remained at church in a season of prayer. There were intercessory prayers for the sick, bereaved, and those in need. Each team member prayed a “personal prayer” to God that the Holy Spirit would prepare their hearts and create a passion for Christian service. Finally, there was a prayer of thanksgiving.

The following Sabbath representatives from each group enthusiastically shared their experiences:

Jeanice Warden-Washington, a member of the Walmart gifting team, retells the reaction of a woman that cried and hugged her “like she was a some long lost relative.” Barbara Jones, another team member, said, “One woman confessed she was wondering ‘how we were going to pay for all this stuff’ and what a blessing the gift was to her.”

Sharon Evans, a prayer team member, said she could “feel the fire coming from heaven.”

David Wright of the visitation team said, “If you want to enjoy Sabbath like never before- do something for others. It is like a holiday.”

Damon Washington, pastor explains, “Our church shows that love in action, fueled by the Holy Spirit, can impact the community and produce great joy for all concerned. To God be the glory!”

Featured in Northern Lights, January 19, 2023

Yreka Church member Ben Woodruff has been involved in ministry for unhoused people in his community. Through his work with area churches and agencies, it was only a matter of time before he got his home church involved.

Ben and the Yreka church members committed to taking one night per week to serve hot meals to the unhoused at a local church. According to Woodruff, “We soon realized that not many of them were coming to the church. To maximize our effectiveness, we started going out to their camps with food. That decision increased serving 2 to 4 meals in a building to serving 30 to 40 in the camps.”

As the collaborative town program ended with the season, the Yreka team didn’t see any lessening of the need. The church board then voted to keep assembling meals at Yreka church and delivering them to the camps.

According to Bob Mason, district pastor, “We called our new group Ministry of Mercy, and as the months turned warm, the number of meals rose to over seventy.”

Mason continued, “Through choosing this act of service, we now know many in the camps by name. We have made our outreach more relevant to the community and God has opened doors. As opportunities arise, the Ministry of Mercy team converses and prays with our new friends. One man has begun coming to church and has requested baptism. Praise God!”

Featured in Northern Lights, January 12, 2023