Cover Story for December 15, 2005
Christmas will be a little merrier this year for some residents of the Gulf Coast, thanks to churches in the Rappahanock Baptist Association.
More than 3,000 teddy bears, beanie babies and other stuffed animals were collected by Virginia Baptist congregations in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula. A small team of church members will drive a truck filled with the toys to a school in Bay St. Louis, Miss., near Slidell, La., and to a church in New Orleans.
Also on the truck will be hundreds of school supplies, which had been collected for evacuees expected to be resettled at Ft. Pickett in Southside Virginia. Those evacuees were sent elsewhere and the school supplies were unused.
The stuffed animal collection was initiated by Smithland Baptist Church in Heathsville when its deacon chair, William Yetaman, asked the congregation to adopt the project. Later, the church invited other congregations in the Rappahannock association to participate.
For over a month, Smithland Church served as a collection point for the animals, which were gathered and stored by volunteers from the several dozen churches that participated.
“A project of this magnitude could have never been accomplished without the dedicated service of the ministers, church groups and numerous individuals who have given of their time and resources to bring cheer to the hearts of many hurting children,” said Yeatman. “May God bless each one of our many helpers.”
Sam Pittman, interim pastor at Smithland, said many churches in the association have contributed disaster relief funds for the Gulf Coast through the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and dozens of the association's church members have traveled to Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to participate in disaster relief feeding projects and reconstruction efforts.
“The Bear Project has been an effort to do a little something extra for some of the children of the area in the spirit of Christ as the Christmas season nears,” he said. “Our churches have become excited and enthusiaastic about gathering these cuddly animals for many children who have lost all of their personal items. Our churches have shown great joy and have been richly blessed by participating in this compassionate effort.”
The school supplies collection was coordianted by Gwen Smith, a Henrico County public school staff member whose husband, Truman, is a retired employee of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board.
When she learned of the Bear Project, she contacted Pittman, also a retired IMB employee, and offered to send the unused school supplies along with the stuffed animals.
On Sunday, Dec. 4, Smithland Church filled its pews with stuffed animals for a dedication service.
“Here in the Northern Neck, we have something called the Blessing of the Fleet,” said Pittman, referring to an annual event for vessels on the Chesapeake Bay. “I told the people at Smithland, if we can bless boats, we can bless these stuffed animals. Of course, we're really blessing the recipients.”