“Community group reached out and helps struggling people with yard work,” said Becky Sullivan, a youth director at Macedonia Baptist Church. “They take them to get fresh meals. They supply common household items to those in need. They give them clothes and just sit and visit with families who have no one that cares for them.”
The construction group fixes roofs, builds ramps for houses, and anything necessary.
“Their main goal is to minister to these people and let them know that there are people who love them and can tell them about a God who loves them so much more than that,” Sullivan said.
Both Ben Goude and Ashton Rouse were part of the children’s ministry staff and mutually agreed on the biggest lesson learned.
“I have learned to grow and come out of my shell to help love and minister to the kids in Leslie and Perry County,” Rouse said.
In children’s ministry, one conducts a vacation Bible school-stye program. The kids arrive at the site, get something to eat, do a devotion, crafts, games, then eat lunch and go home.
Without a staff, Rodgers would be alone. “The blessings outweigh all the tiredness that you experience,” said staff member Rouse.
Goude, a former staff member, said the job allows staffers to make friends with people all over the country and the opportunity to “share the Gospel.”
Staff members must be at least 18 and high school graduates. If selected, they begin around the middle of May and are finished in early August – a full 12 weeks. The application has eight parts, including questions that help organizers see if you are a good fit for the program. An interview follows.
“Our group, coming from a higher-income area who most have everything they can desire, going to Big creek opened our eyes,” said Sullivan. “It showed us what it’s like to live in these conditions and what we can do to help. It showed us how to take ourselves out of the picture for a brief moment in time and to focus on others, which is something God has taught us to do.
“This helps breaks down walls that we have all built around us and teaches us to share with others – not only the good things, but the things we struggle with. Big Creek unified our group because of these things.”