JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP) — When it comes to ministry in Jesus' name, relieving “oppression” takes many forms — including the oppression of today's gasoline prices.
As gas prices hit record levels across the country, a growing number of churches are sponsoring gas “buy-downs” — paying part of the cost of each gallon as a way to help their neighbors.
For two hours on a recent Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., Murray Hill Baptist Church did just that. The church covered 50 cents of the cost of each gallon pumped by 175 customers at a Kangaroo Express.
With gas in Jacksonville selling at $3.26 a gallon — an all-time high — 50 cents off wasn't exactly a steal. Nonetheless, 100 drivers lined up an hour and a half before the 10 a.m. start. When the buy-down was over at noon, the church had spent $1,020, pumped about 2,000 gallons of gas at $2.76 a gallon, and washed a lot of windshields.
Doug Axtell, who has been the congregation's pastor for six years, said the purpose of the gesture was “to show the community God's love” and change residents' image of Murray Hill Baptist.
For a 78-year-old congregation in a part of town that is being revitalized by an influx of younger residents, creating a second opinion of the church is invaluable.
“Three-and-a-half years ago, I was confronted with the reality [that] most of our neighbors wouldn't care if our church wasn't here,” Axtell said bluntly.
Since then, the congregation has been looking for ways to become helpful and relevant again. “The church has a problem being outwardly focused,” the pastor said.
The gas buy-down was more about ministry and goodwill than evangelism, he said — the same reasons the church hosts a food pantry, thrift store and Murray Hill's only fall festival.
“It is an urban neighborhood that is being rebuilt. There is a diversity of people, an interesting mix of people — older people who have lived here all their lives, urban professionals and tons of twenty-somethings.”
“Because of who is in our neighborhood, they are expecting us to shove the gospel down their throats,” he said. “… Their image of church is so negative. We just wanted them to see that the gospel is about loving people.”
“People come to our church for about six months before they ever let us know they are here.” Axtell continued. “It's very frustrating for a pastor. … It's weeks of building relationships with these people, many of them hurt by the church earlier in their lives. But once they are on board, they are activist about their faith.”
Murray Hill Baptist got the idea for the project from a book about servant evangelism, which emphasizes practical ministry as a low-pressure way to create relationships with unchurched people. The buy-down resulted in at least three local families visiting the church for worship the next day, Axtell said.
The pastor advised churches that are considering a gas buy-down to get hints from other congregations that have done it before. Among those churches recently sponsoring buy-downs are ones in Kansas, Missouri and Ohio.