Mt. Airy Church in Easley is empowering Kingdom growth through a one-day annual service event named “Beyond the Walls.”  More than 400 church members participated in the service projects this year, which included landscaping, serving food at a homeless shelter and giving women in a nursing center a day of pampering. 

Dr. Keith Shorter, pastor of Mt. Airy Church, described the purpose of the day of ministry as sharing God’s love to others with no strings attached.  “This is about being a servant, there is nothing glamorous about mowing someone’s yard.  We do it because there is a need, we love the Lord and we love people.”

What started in 2002 with 11 projects and more than 350 church member volunteers, grew to include more than 20 projects and 449 church members in the service day held last May.  According to Minister of Education Ken Holcombe, God brought the needs and the ability to meet those needs [through church members’ skills] together.

Individual church members were asked to lead each of the project teams, which also involved coordinating materials and the number of people needed to complete the project.  Church members signed up ahead of time and were placed on work teams for the day.  The church has incorporated fellowship into the event, including a breakfast that morning and a short devotion and prayer time before the teams begin their projects. 

Some groups did home repair projects and yard work for widows and single mothers, landscaping local school yards, prayerwalking and scripture distribution.  One team included members of an existing Equestrian ministry who taught young boys and girls from a local shelter how to ride and care for horses.  At a Greenville homeless shelter, one group prepared a meal and distributed supplies donated by church members including toiletries and bags.  Another team gave female residents of a local nursing center a “day of beauty” which included make-up applications, hair styling and manicures as they were told how much God loved them. 

One group remained at the church to prepare sack lunches which were then distributed to all the work sites, and others formed a childcare team which enabled church members with small children to participate in the service day.  Through the event, “people have really understood what being a servant is all about, and servant hearts are maturing within the church,” said Holcombe.

In all, more than 1,500 people were touched through Mt. Airy Church’s ministry projects this year and, while the focus was not evangelism, three salvations were reported.  Church members celebrated the projects’ success together the following Sunday night at the church. 

“This experience has gotten our people excited about Kingdom work,” said Shorter, who added that missions participation has also increased since the first “Beyond the Walls” service day. 

According to Holcombe, in order for a service day like “Beyond the Walls” to work it requires much advanced preparation – “if it is worth doing, it is worth doing with quality.”  He also recommends that as many church members be involved as possible in the planning process.

Shorter and Holcombe encourage any church interested in pursuing this ministry to contact them for more information.  Mt. Airy Church hopes to include other churches in its 2004 “Beyond the Walls” service day. 

Dr. Shorter may be reached at Mt. Airy Baptist Church, Easley, at (864)295-3008.