The T-shirts sum it up: “The church has left the building.”
What church? The membership of Yazoo City's First Baptist Church (YCFBC).
Why did they leave? To go to the community.
Why go to the community? Hopefully, so the people in the community will see that the church loves them.
Some 200 members of the Grand Avenue church – most of them decked out in blue T-shirts with “I Love Yazoo” sewn boldly on the front and “The church has left the building” on the back – ate sack lunches in the Family Life Center following the Aug. 23 morning worship service. Unlike most meals at the church where time is taken to form closer bonds among the fellowship of believers, there was an urgency about Sunday's meal: Get the church outside the walls and into the community.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Clint Ritchie, sees Sunday's ministry in the community as the culmination of a long-held desire for the church.
“Really, I was looking at ways for the community to see that our church is (made-up) of just average people and we do care about the people in Yazoo,” Ritchie said.
In his Aug. 20 column in the church's weekly newsletter, “The Church Chimes,” Ritchie paralleled YCFBC to the early church's ministry to the community in Acts 4, “where the people are described as being of 'one heart and mind,' and the people used their possessions to meet needs around them.” As he pointed out, the materials needed for the ministries were provided by the individuals in the Sunday School classes, “which is a form of people giving of their possessions. There is a financial commitment being made by the participants.”
Approximately nine groups of church members canvassed targeted areas of the community, handing out light bulbs, smoke detector batteries, baked goods, tracts and information about the church. Groups also conducted a backyard Bible study, manned a lemonade stand, and hosted a block party in a Jackson Avenue park.
“That is not all of the projects, but it gives you an idea of what we are going to be (doing) out in our community, demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways,” he said. “It's a way to break down some barriers. It's also a way to get our church outside the walls, and to get people to be involved in personal ministry.”
Ritchie said “I Love Yazoo” isn't just a catchy slogan.
“I guess one of the biggest things is 'I Love Yazoo' isn't just a phrase, but it's something I've come to experience and a lot of others have, too,” he said. “There's a great love for the community and a desire to see improvement.”
Ritchie calls the church's outreach to the community “servanthood evangelism.” He said while it's happening in some places, it isn't widespread.
“I've got a friend and they do (servanthood evangelism) one Sunday a year and they cancel their service that Sunday morning,” he said. “I know some churches that do it quarterly, but it's really rare to be an organized effort like this.”
Prior to sending the church into the community Sunday morning, Ritchie challenged the congregation as he preached about Jesus' washing the disciples' feet and service.
“I hope first of all that people see First Baptist Church as full of people who love them and are genuine people,” he said. “I think we've already seen that people have a heart for the community and that people who maybe never have been before are involved in ministry. I hope that seeds of the Gospel are planted.”
Ritchie said members of YCFBC have earlier “taken ownership” of ministry in the community. One example of the ownership was as a group of men gathered on Webster Elementary School's campus one recent Saturday morning and groomed the campus. The school's teachers were later treated to a meal in the church's Family Life Center and told that the church would continue to support the school throughout the school year.
“I have yet to do anything over there (at the school),” Ritchie said. “That was organized by a group of men and has been worked by a group of men. They've taken ownership, so it's not something I'm having to push or any other staff member is having to push. It's laymen in the church who have taken that responsibility, and it has been received well.”
Roger Jones, YCFBC's Sunday School superintendent, expressed his enthusiasm for the church's ministry to the community.
“Today we truly transition from being just a loving church to being a serving church,” he wrote early Sunday morning in his text to all the Sunday School teachers. “I'm praying that Yazoo City will see our church in a whole new way.”
