Orchestrated Blessings

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

Before the impact of COVID-19, First Baptist Church in London, Kentucky, served 700-800 people a month through its outreach services, programs, and local partnerships. These efforts help children, their families, and seniors in Appalachia with goods received from Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Operation Sharing Program.

“We try to serve every age range. Anywhere we can see there’s a need we try our best to address it,” said Church Deacon Sherry Osborne. “We try to come up with something to help and show God’s love.”

Through its partners, Operation Sharing is able to meet the needs of the Appalachian communities CAP serves. “Our partners are in our communities every day, so they see where the need is on a daily basis,” said Ben Ridner, manager of CAP’s Operation Sharing Program in Corbin, Kentucky. “It speaks highly of an organization or the people in that organization that not only see a need but want to reach out and help where they can with that need.”

First Baptist Church has hosted weekly family nights, lunches for the elderly, youth nights, first responder and law enforcement recognition events, and community distributions. Any items left from distributions or events at the church go to the local homeless shelter and school resource centers. “God makes a ripple effect with His love through CAP and we continue to spread it,” Osborne said.

God makes a ripple effect with His love through CAP and we continue to spread it.

— Sherry Osborne

For one local grandmother, the church was able to provide clothing from Operation Sharing for the six grandchildren she is raising. When one of her granddaughters was planning her wedding, Operation Sharing was able to answer the need again with a wedding dress.

“Operation Sharing has been such a blessing to us,” Osborne said. “God has orchestrated so many blessings in our community through Christian Appalachian Project. It was a precious moment to find that dress for the young woman. God always supplies.”

Through our partners at Operation Sharing, CAP is able to continue its mission of service in Appalachia. “It takes a tremendous effort from every organization across Appalachia,” Ridner said. “I think these organizations are a large part of our mission to serve the region. Without them, this would be almost impossible for us to do on this large of a scale. We are blessed to have our partners.”