Back-to-School Outreach Ministers to Hundreds in Knoxville, Tenn.
The recent Back to School Outreach Day at the Freedom House Church of God in Knoxville, Tennessee proved to be one of great harvest and ministry. Over 5OO bags of school supplies were given away to needy families attending the morning worship service on August 5, as well as to needy students at a nearby elementary school, at an inner city Boys and Girls Club and to homeless students at the Knox Area Rescue Mission. Our Grateful Heart clothing ministry opened its doors for a three day clothing distribution where over a hundred families received new and gently used school clothing for the whole family.
From a vision cast by Pastor Travis Ballinger the church responded is providing about 500 pairs of new shoes for the families and will repeat the shoe giveaway again at the end of the month to complete the goal of 1,000 pairs of shoes for the needy. The greatest result of the weekend were the souls who were blessed in the altars who came seeking the Lord.
“The Lord has opened doors for Freedom House to touch the hurting of Knoxville at the point of their need,” stated Associate Pastor John Unthank of Freedom House Church of God. “God has opened doors for several events.” According to Unthank, those include a weekly Sunday morning worship service at the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission with over 50 people attending each week. The homeless are then bussed to the morning worship service and served lunch; A team of Freedom House ladies have just begun a Tuesday night ministry to homeless mothers and their young children; Grateful Heart ministry provides clothing and household essentials to the community on a regular basis; and Freedom House Food Pantry will begin food service at the end of this month.
The church has continued outreach at the University of Tennessee campus through the Church of God Campus Christian Connection. Ministry partnerships with Ball Camp Pike Elementary School and the Haslam Boys and Girls Club in the inner city.
“God is moving in the hearts of the congregation at Freedom House to make a difference in the city of Knoxville,” Unthank concluded. “It is mour hope that reporting on these events will inspire other churches to do the same in their cities. To God Be The Glory.”
