Kayleah Robinette, Curtis Robinette, Mason Scott and team leader Jimmy Parsons build a wheelchair ramp for a resident of Chloe Creek. (Appalachian News-Express photo by Aaron Nelson)
Pike County—Roughly 70 volunteers of all ages have been at work across Pike County as the Pike Association of Southern Baptists organized the county’s first LoveLoud Pike.
The event aimed to fulfill the mission set out in 1 John 3:18, to demonstrate love for one’s brothers and sisters not just with words, but with action as well. In doing so, they have identified projects of all sizes and scopes around the county, from light bulb giveaways to major repair and renovation projects.
Kim Ratliff said the group also took the opportunity to minister to the community, and was working to both improve people’s quality of life and spread the gospel at the same time.
Ratliff said their car wash at Immanuel Baptist Church in Coal Run Village did not see a lot of traffic, likely because passersby might errantly assume the volunteers are holding it as a fundraiser and asking for donations.
“It’s entirely free,” she said.
Other groups around the county were landscaping, building ramps for wheelchair-bound individuals or pressure washing and staining homes, in places from Pikeville to Phelps to Elkhorn City. One group spent a day painting Belfry Middle School.
LoveLoud is a program organized by the North American Mission Board, based in Alpharetta, Ga., which coordinates tens of thousands of individuals in this and similar programs for disaster relief and feeding the hungry. (Appalachian News-Express)
Aaron Nelson