WS Chronicle

Outreach is the staple of Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, according to Senior Pastor Daryl Young.  Last Saturday, Nov. 18 it held its annual Thanksgiving outreach for the surrounding community.

Mt. Carmel, which has been holding this event for several years, says the church decided to hold the event the week before Thanksgiving in order to allow the congregation to enjoy the holidays with their families.  This year the church gave out turkeys, winter clothing items and served a full Thanksgiving meal.

All totaled, the church gave away 400 turkeys and served several hundred people throughout the day.  Young, who has been the pastor of the church for eight years, says they like to switch things up every so often so it makes their giveaway more exciting.  He feels this event has been a huge success throughout the years

“This is for anyone who wants to come in from the community,” said Young.  “This year we have about 400 turkeys plus roasters to give away and it really is a blessing.”

Young stated that many of the turkeys were donated and some were purchased at a discounted rate from various supermarkets.  Some of the turkeys were also donated to the church from individuals who just wanted to help with the giveaway.  Those who could not come to the church will have their turkeys delivered by the church.

According to Young, the church’s mission statement is to impact the local community through outreach and fellowship by doing events such as this along with having a free lunch program they have during the summer for the kids and adults in the community.

“We know we have a lot of hungry people in this community and one of the things I believe is that God has called us to this local community,” he continued.  “We do foreign missions but we have right here in this community a lot of people in need.

“Part of our ultimate vision is to build a community outreach center so our elderly and young people will have a place to go,” said Young.  “We want to have programs such as job placement, resume building and job skills and we have started some of things now inside the church.”

Annie Brown is the Thanksgiving outreach coordinator for the church.  She says she really gets a lot of pleasure out of helping those in the community that are in need.  She feels this time of year with the cold weather and holidays, people need all the help they can get.

“God blessed me some years ago and I have always been a giving person,” Brown said.  “When I came here under the leadership of Daryl Young and sister Young, I could work and I have been doing it ever since.  Cooking is my passion and I don’t feel like anyone should be hungry.

“I love to give, which is why I do it every year,” she continued.  “I love this and God gets the glory and that makes me happy.  I know it’s not fun being hungry, so I like to see that people are being fed.”

Brown wanted to commend the people of the church who assisted her with putting this event together.  She says they were a big help with coordinating the event.  She wanted to give a special thank you to Walmart, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market and Food Lion, among others for their help with the giveaway.

One of the recipients of a turkey was a young lady who preferred to be called “Latoya.”  She says events like this really assist families such as hers.  With her being a single parent of three, she feels this will be a big help to her family during the holidays.

“I just can’t thank the church enough for this,” she said.  “I mean I probably would have been able to get a turkey but the fact I can use that money for something else my kids may need is a big help.  I don’t think they know how many families they are helping today and I just wanted to say thank you if no one else does.”

For Young, he says it’s a blessing to be able to go beyond the walls of the church and help others.  He said there is joy in service and that is what Christians are called to do.  He feels if a church meets people where they are, the Lord will take care of the rest.  The church wants to continue and expand its outreach to further impact the community in a positive way.

While the community enjoyed the meals, they were treated to a positive message from Evangelist Carolyn Boston-Harris, who says she just wanted to share her testimony with the people.  Her message to the people was to always give thanks to God no matter what your circumstances because there is always light at the other end of the tunnel.