“There’s a different spirit in our church now. It’s made me feel different. It’s left a lasting impression.”
Initially, it appeared Oakland Avenue—which averages 30 on a Sunday—would not hold VBS despite the offer of a $300 grant from Northern Kentucky Baptist Association made available to churches with annual budgets of less than $75,000.
Although initially expressing interest, Richardson later e-mailed Director of Missions Rick Robbins to say his church could not attract enough workers. Part of the reluctance stemmed from organizing a VBS staff two years ago and only having eight children show up.
However, about the time Robbins received that e-mail, Pastor French Harmon of First Baptist, Somerset, called the association office.
Formerly a pastor in Northern Kentucky, Harmon told Robbins his church wanted to do a mission trip in Kentucky to complement others it does across the United States and overseas. The DOM outlined a few possibilities and after praying, Harmon said it was clear God was directing them to Covington.
“Personally, I experienced a revival in my soul,” Harmon said. “When you see the tremendous needs of a community and see what the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to a person, it brings a renewal of the spirit.”
Youth Director Bob McAlpin recalled that the 58-member team received a sign from God the morning it left Somerset. As the group and about 20 supporters who showed up for their send off prayed, a double rainbow appeared in the sky.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” McAlpin noted. “We felt God’s presence. The Lord sent us on this mission trip. I think that’s why it was so successful. He was with us every step.”
Robbins also was pleased with the outcome of the cooperative venture.
“It’s a great testimony of how a stronger church can link up with a smaller one and make a difference,” he said.
The outreach began with flyer distribution throughout the neighborhood, located about two miles east of downtown in the Cincinnati suburb of 43,000. That is when Richardson said he met the man who had recently purchased a nearby bar.
Not only did he agree to put up three flyers, the bar owner showed up for the block party that kicked off the event.
After 225 attended the block party, about 100 children and a few parents came each of the next three days. Each day began with a free lunch for participants. Those who led the sessions agreed that the conversions topped the list of thrills.
McAlpin, who led four neighborhood children in prayers to accept Christ, said he had teens from Somerset join him in those counseling sessions.
“These kids were serious—it was real,” the youth director noted. “We’d all put our hands on the Bible and say the sinner’s prayer. Every time, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
“One boy said, ‘I’ve been to Brazil and all over the country and I’ve never seen anything like this.’”
“It woke us up to the number of families in our neighborhood that seem to be hurting or are hurting,” Richardson said of VBS. “For us to feed that many families for four days meant a lot to them.”
In addition to the spiritual revival, the Somerset team gave the building a facelift. Among the improvements were painting the children’s Sunday school rooms, patching the church steps, tarring the roof and planting flowers.
The most noticeable repair was to the large praying hands in the church’s steeple, a tribute to a 14-year-old girl from the neighborhood who died more than 20 years ago.
Workers from Somerset did preliminary repairs and hired an electrician to make sure the neon-lit, light blue hands glow at night, Richardson noted.
Richardson, who can see the hands from the parsonage next door, explained that the Somerset team’s visit has fired him up and let him know that God wants his family to be in this area.
Recently, a large group in the neighborhood that met Richardson at VBS waved as he drove by, although the pastor did not realize they knew him.
“God has blessed us to reach out to the neighborhood people and make relationships with them,” Richardson said. “That’s our purpose, to not only feed them physically but feed them spiritually.”
Western Recorder issue date: August 5, 2008
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