GREENVILLE, Miss. (ABP) — Leaders in Mississippi are using the rebirth of a church in Greenville to spearhead long-term missions initiatives in the Mississippi Delta and establish a starting point for work with the rural poor.
Located in Greenville, Harvest Fellowship began in 2002 with the remnants of a once-thriving congregation. Membership had dwindled in recent years until remaining members decided to donate the building to help establish a new church.
When volunteers from four Mississippi churches came to help the new congregation get the old building ready for worship, they discovered it had more room than the church needed, according to Greg Wolfe, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Jackson. “Because of its location, and because missions teams had committed to working in the area, we decided to convert a portion of the church into dorm facilities,” he said.
Working in conjunction with Partners in Hope, a rural poverty initiative of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, volunteers from First Baptist Church in Leland, Northside Baptist in Clinton, Madison Baptist Fellowship and Faith Baptist Church in Jackson joined members of Harvest Fellowship in building new restroom and shower facilities, along with 32 bunk beds to accommodate missions teams visiting the area.
While Greenville in Washington County is not located in one of the 20 poorest counties, according to a Partners in Hope listing, it does share a county line with both Sunflower and Issaquena counties, which are on the list. Because of its proximity, Harvest Fellowship became a catalyst for Partners in Hope efforts in the area.
“The goal is to develop leaders in the Delta,” said Steve Street, CBF Mississippi coordinator. “Some of the people we have reached establishing Harvest will be involved in our rural poverty initiative team. We began with a dozen people who didn't know anything about the Fellowship and its ministries, and now we have a congregation that trusts us and will be willing to lead in some of our efforts.”
This summer, missions volunteers conducted a vacation Bible school, a music camp and a sports camp at Harvest.
“This was a wonderful investment in the children of Harvest Fellowship and Greenville,” Street said. “It exposed them to art, many for the first time in their lives, it gets them excited, and helps them to start dreaming about positive outlets for their creativity.”
For more information on Partners in Hope, visit www.ruralpoverty.net.
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— Photo available from Associated Baptist Press.