What began as an effort to help one family grew into a community-wide outreach that demonstrated Christ’s love through tangible action.

By Carl Stagner | Read Time: 3 minutes

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The strain on parents (and their children) is no exaggeration; as they say, “the struggle is real.” School fees, registrations, lunch money, and more mount in such a manner you’d think everyone’s trying to “nickel-and-dime” you (or, should that be “quarter-and-dollar” you, accounting for inflation?). Regardless, if a sign of help emerges on the near horizon, it’s certainly one of welcome. So, when Church of God congregations in Mississippi linked arms to help provide clothing (and various services) to local families, not only did people feel financial relief—they also felt the love of God in the hands and feet of Jesus.

“Long story short,” Andrea Felton explains, “we had one specific family in need, so our original drive was intended to bless them and then see if anyone else would come forward if we announced distribution.”

Andrea Felton serves as children’s pastor at NorthPark Church in Meridian, Mississippi, under the Church of God congregation’s lead pastor, Jim Feirtag.

“We also have another local Church of God congregation, Jones Chapel,” Andrea explains, “that amazingly was holding a uniform distribution for a community event called Love Out Loud a month later. LOL is organized by a local Baptist church, but several different denominations partner together for a week of community outreach (for example, my church volunteered at a local elementary school for some painting, power washing, flower-bed maintenance, etc.) So, after we took care of our needy family, we decided to send anything they couldn’t use over to Jones for the whole community to benefit.”

The Setup

All the schools in their area require uniforms. Different-color polo shirts differentiate which school the children attend. Black pants or khakis complete each uniform but, as the students grow—from pre-K through 12th grade—it’s back to the store for parents and guardians!

“As everyone knows, kids grow!” Pastor Andrea exclaims. “Sometimes through multiple sizes in the same year. For families with low or single incomes, multiple sets of outfits for multiple children can be a big strain. We just seek to share new or gently used uniforms to help lessen the burden.”

NorthPark Church is no stranger to the surrounding Meridian community. They’re active in the neighborhoods throughout the year, and often find opportunities to be salt and light.

“We love to answer any call from our community,” Andrea continues. “That just gives us an opportunity to put faith into action and show families the love of Christ.”

Community Response

No surprise, the event was received very well by the families who took advantage of the uniform distribution.

“We had multiple families give their great quality used uniforms,” Pastor Andrea recalls. “We were able to bless our family that requested assistance, and then our plan was to pass on the rest to Jones for the Love Out Loud distribution. They let families come in and ‘shop’ the different sizes/colors available.”

Go and Do Likewise?

Ellen Daniels, director of engagement for Servant Solutions, alerted CHOGnews to this encouraging local-church story. Her words demonstrate the inspiration a story like this can offer the Movement.

“This is a great, simple, kind, practical way of how we Christians can help those around us in need,” she reflects. “It is such a simple gesture, but one that literally can save a family hundreds of dollars! Those school uniforms are not cheap at all. And, it is a great way to connect with other families in a community. The reason I passed it on is because any of our Church of God congregations can simulate this same community reach out without hardly any effort, yet have a big impact!”