Across the Street & Around the World

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” These were his last words to them before he ascended to heaven. From there, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word of God (Acts 1:14-15), and they waited for the Holy Spirit to come.

The book of Acts is the story of how the Gospel went forth throughout Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. The Holy Spirit came. The disciples received power. They became witnesses. And the Holy Spirit directed them. By the end of the book, the early church had made Jesus known across the street and around the world.

Across the Street

At Huffman Baptist Church we are celebrating some of the ways that God is using us to make Jesus known across the street!

During the week of September 11th, we participated with other Birmingham Metro Baptist Association churches in the annual Adopt-a-Station ministry. Throughout the week, HBC members served firefighters at Station 30 and Center Point as well as police officers at the Birmingham Police Department’s East Precinct. Since we Baptists love to eat, our local first-responders were treated to lots and lots of food. Lots of love. Encouragement. And prayer! Thank you HBC members for loving our neighbors and making Jesus known!

While I was writing this article, I received a text from one of our members asking me to come to what we call our Founders Room. I had no idea what to expect. But I was super excited about what I found. A group of our ladies meet once a month for what they call Tack and Snack. They make sleeping bags for Birmingham’s homeless community. Here’s how it works. Church members and others donate fabric throughout the year, and these ladies sew the fabric together. Tack the pieces together. Stuff the pieces with batting. Sew the pieces together. Roll the bags up. And store them in a closet until November. Then our church administrator takes them to ministries downtown that serve the homeless community. And these ladies have been doing this for years! Thank you ladies for loving our neighbors and making Jesus known!

Around the World

Jesus has also called us to make him known around the world. And HBC has a legacy of giving to support missions. Praying for missionaries. And sending members on mission.

We Sew Love is an Acts 1:8 mission partner with HBC that provides clothing for children all over the world. Each button on the map to the left represents a distribution point. We Sew Love was recently featured on one of WVTM13’s Community Champions segments.

At the conclusion of our morning worship service on September 15th, we had the privilege of honoring a long-time member who participated with HBC’s Builders for Christ mission teams for more than fifteen years! James helped to build more than a dozen church buildings in the United States and Honduras. I first met James a couple of months before this picture was taken. I was visiting with the staff at HBC prior to being called as pastor. James was helping in the kitchen, as he had done for many many years. Thank you James for loving the nations and making Jesus known!

God is indeed working in and through Huffman Baptist Church. We are currently working towards our Fall Festival on November 3rd from 3:00 to 5:00. This will be an opportunity for us to bless our neighbors and build relationships that will bear gospel fruit.