So. Baptist group hosts 32 charity projects in Mississippi: 'The Church is not a club for perfect people'
A Southern Baptist relief organization recently hosted several aid efforts in Mississippi, including one church that helped oversee a free dental care event.
Central Baptist Church of Meridian hosted a dental care clinic on March 18-19, with an estimated 175 people in need coming to get dental care, including fillings and extractions.
The event was just one of 32 projects held in the Meridian area organized by Send Relief, a charity group overseen by the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board.
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John Maxey of the Lauderdale Baptist Association, to which Central Baptist belongs, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that the events were part of a seven-stop tour by Send Relief.
“The multi-state service tour is being held in partnership with local churches, city leaders and schools that have identified tangible needs within their communities,” Maxey said.
While this was the first time that Central Baptist hosted a dental clinic, The Lauderdale Baptist Association had previously hosted a similar clinic at another partnering congregation, Calvary Baptist Church.
“In my opinion, both events were a success and accomplished the purpose of having the event,” said Maxey. “Because of it being one less day than the previous one, we didn't see as many clients this year. With the assistance of local volunteers and the Mississippi Department of Oral Health, we intend to have another dental mission next year.”
Other projects that were part of the tour included landscaping at local schools, delivering meals to nurses who work the night shift, building beds for children in need and constructing huts for the homeless.
“I hope we were able to express the love of Jesus through meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of those coming to receive assistance,” Maxey added.
“Central Baptist is a wonderful congregation that desires to meet and build relationships with individuals in their community. The Church is not a club for perfect people, but rather a place where imperfect people will be loved, encouraged and cared for by other imperfect people.”
In addition to meeting local needs in Mississippi, Send Relief is also helping efforts in Poland to care for refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to an IMB press release from earlier this month, Send Relief is working with the Polish Baptist Union and others to help house as many as 1,000 Ukrainian refugees.
