Saturday morning, July 18, 113 volunteers gathered at multiple locations across Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the annual IMPACT evangelism and service event.
At Hillview Church in Reynoldsburg, volunteers completed multiple painting projects at the church (both inside and out), offered a free neighborhood carwash, steam cleaned carpets, and pressure washed where needed. Hillview Church member Geri Baker was amazed by everything they accomplished. “It’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “It just fills my heart and soul to see what they are doing. I’m just so grateful.”
Some Hillview volunteers made the short drive to Reynoldsburg FWB Church, where they painted the basement children’s area. Across town, participants joined local congregations at Heritage FWB Church and Canaan Land FWB Church to serve widows in a variety of ways.
Though the hardworking crews dodged rain showers and were forced to peer through the yellow, smoky haze from Canadian wildfires, their spirits remained bright. They laughed, joked, tossed good-natured insults back and forth, and even conjured up the occasional prank, reminding us once again how good (and fun) it is to serve the Lord…together.
“We came for the first time last year in Kansas City,” said volunteer Shaun Morgan, from Lebanon, Missouri. “We loved it! We thought, ‘We can do this every year,’ and so we are back again this year.”
Their hard work marked twenty years of IMPACT. The program started in 2006, in the sweltering heat of Birmingham, Alabama. Although two decades have passed since that first effort, many things remain unchanged. As the first IMPACT report shares, “Volunteers came armed with Bibles, hammers, chainsaws, and determination. In teams of two and three, they walked the streets of the city, taking the Gospel of Hope to every door along the way.”
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- Hillview Church
IMPACT Director Ken Akers is quick to thank the volunteers and local churches that make IMPACT possible:
Over these 20 years, we have had nearly four thousand people give up the Saturday morning before the convention to make a difference. In all the years I’ve been director, I’ve never heard a single person regret being involved!
Ohio local Sarah Sargent echoes his words. “IMPACT was so much fun! It was really nice to serve alongside brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the country.”
She’s right!
Make plans now to join the IMPACT outreach event on Saturday, July 24, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information about IMPACT throughout the year, visit fwbmastersmen.org/impact/.