Church on a mission to reach the community

Special to the Review The Athens Review

Malakoff — First Baptist Church of Malakoff is on a mission to reach the community by any means necessary.

The church’s pastor, staff and congregation began holding block parties last year, and are now launching Radiate 2010 (twentyten).

Two vehicles will be awarded during Radiate 2010, so at the very minimum two lives will be forever changed because of the church’s efforts. The young pastor, staff and church are praying that the numbers of future lives changed will be “unimaginable.”

“First of all, let me be clear, if God had not shown up none of this would have happened. Regardless of the idea, or our efforts, none of this would have been possible without Him,” FBC Malakoff Pastor Nathan Lorick said. “It has been amazing so far, we have seen lives changed for those we met through block parties. Perhaps even more exciting is how hearts caught on fire for those in our church. Many in our congregation have developed new ministries, deeper conviction and a different concept of “church.” Many have shared that they now feel church on Sunday is just to get refreshed. The real church is the other six days in the week when they are outside our four walls. And as their pastor, I can’t tell you what that does to my heart.”

Four Saturdays in August of 2009, volunteers from FBC Malakoff signed up to take a Block Party to a different community around Cedar Creek Lake. Each Saturday they served free hot dogs, drinks and chips, took inflatable games for the kids and reached out to show perfect strangers they were cared for. At the final block party of the summer, the church members collected school supplies and distributed them at the event.  Over 400 children received everything they would need to start school.

At each block party, guests were offered the opportunity to watch a video from threeminutestory.com. The website offers choices for viewers to listen to a three minute testimony. Each viewer’s name is entered into a national drawing for a new vehicle, which would take place at the end of the year.

From the national drawing of thousands of entries, the name of a perfect stranger to FBC Malakoff was drawn as the winner.

“Ronnie Hill, the founder of threeminutestory.com began to try to reach me on my cell phone on the evening of the drawing. I had truly forgotten that it was the date for the drawing. After all, out of thousands of participants around the world, what was the likelihood of a person from our small community winning the vehicle? I had just been so thankful, so satisfied with reaching those around us,” Lorick said. “He was having trouble contacting the winner as well, and I think the sound of any voice he could have reached would have been part of the celebration!”

Danny Stevens, the winner, will be presented the vehicle by Hill personally on Sunday, Feb. 21 during the first session of Radiate 2010  at 11 a.m.

He had been without an automobile for seven years.

Winning the vehicle has not come without challenge for Stevens and FBC Malakoff.

“Of course, we were all so initially excited, we didn’t consider any complications. When we finally visited with Mr. Stevens, and he learned that it would be a requirement for him to pay the TTL on the vehicle, the possible outcome began to change,” Lorick said. “As word spread through the congregation, several individuals donated enough to cover the eventual total cost of the TTL. It was beautiful to see the combination of members that stepped up. There were seniors on fixed retirement incomes, a young widow, young families that stretched every dollar, none have deep pockets. These events have taught each of us so much about serving.”

Aside from the vehicle to be awarded to Stevens, FBC Malakoff will present a second vehicle at Radiate 2010. 

“The church is continuing to reach and provide for the community,” Lorick said. “Our church has such a heart for youth. As prayers began for Radiate 2010, so came the vision of awarding a second vehicle during the week, this time to an area student.”

“Again, as the congregation and community began to hear about our dream of a vehicle for a student, prayers were answered. We actually received word the same day as our announcement that the vehicle would be provided by an anonymous donor,” he said.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, each student from sixth to 12th grade attending Radiate 2010 will be registered to win. The winner will be chosen in a drawing at the conclusion of Radiate 2010 that evening. Free pizza will be served at 6 p.m., registration and Radiate 2010 will follow.

Founder of threeminutestory.com Ronnie Hill will be the guest speaker at each of the five sessions held on Feb. 21 through 24.

Hill’s unconventional methods of reaching and speaking are exactly why FBC Malakoff selected him for Radiate 2010. His interesting approach of preaching is unique, and well defined on the web site.

“I challenged the church to a 40 Day fast, and although it came just at the first a New Year, it’s not the latest craze for weight loss. Those that are participating have given up something for 40 days, they are using that time to pray for Radiate 2010,” Lorick said. “We are all asking God to use this event, our church, our community to make radical changes in how we all serve.”

Following the summer’s block parties, FBC Malakoff has been blessed to develop a new bus ministry that now travels into the communities the parties first reached. The ministries are already so large, four rounds are necessary to pick up and deliver riders for Wednesday and Sunday worship. FBC Malakoff is addressing areas of growth from the block parties including space on the buses, floor space for an exploding children’s ministry and volunteers to serve in each. 

Radiate 2010, according to Lorick, could change the face of the entire Henderson County area. 

“We are a church that thinks outside the box when it comes to reaching and providing for our community. We took the church to only four small neighborhood communities, and have witnessed a remarkable change in the lives of families, young adults, senior adults and children,” he said. “With the exciting events within Radiate 2010, we hope every person who receives an invitation, reads or hears about it will be drawn for some reason. Whether it is to see a man who has not had a car for seven years receive one, children who think free pizza and the chance to go home with a new Wii or a youth who dreams of owning a car, we don’t care why they come — we just want them to come.”

Lorick said Radiate 2010 will be as unconventional as Ronnie Hill’s threeminutestory.com.

“It may be initially the reason someone will come or have interest. When it is all said and done, we are not at all interested in why they came. Our only objective is for everyone to hear an exciting minister share the story of salvation,” he said. “And therein lays the prize, the opportunity to know that Jesus gave his life so that we all can have eternal salvation.”

Radiate 2010 will be held on Feb. 21 through 24, with admission free sessions on Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Feb. 22 and 23 at 6 p.m. with free pizza for youth and the event at 7 p.m., and concludes Feb. 24 with a service at 7 p.m. For more information call First Baptist Church, at 220 West Mitcham Street, at 903-489-0228 or visit www.fbcmalakoff.com.

 

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