RALEIGH, N.C. (RNS) — Friday morning (Aug. 9) by 9 a.m., about 100 mostly homeless men lined up outside Oak City Cares, a multi-service nonprofit on the downtown’s edge. Anne Bazemore was there by the door to offer them a hot cup of coffee.
Bazemore, 25, was one of a handful of volunteers from Imago Dei Church who spent the week of Aug. 3-10 volunteering with various civic organizations as part of ServeNC, a statewide project launched this year by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
A total of 1,169 mostly Southern Baptist churches in 92 of North Carolina’s 100 counties participated in the effort, fielding volunteers for a week of service helping vulnerable populations, including homeless people, orphans, prisoners, refugees and the elderly.
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By Friday, Bazemore knew the names of some of the regulars and how they liked their coffee: black, with cream and sugar, or extra sugar. On a counter just beside the door were two insulated 5-gallon coffee urns; Bazemore poured out coffee until there was no more. She had spent two hours each morning this past week at Oak City Cares, an organization that offers the unhoused a place to shower, do laundry and get medical and case management services.
“Just as I was once far off and have been saved and given a family and given hope by the grace of God, I love getting to love and serve the marginalized in my city,” said Bazemore. “And I count it a great gift that I get to do it.”
Summers are often a time when congregations send out people to far-off missions work. This year, the state’s Southern Baptists envisioned something closer to home.
“In my almost 20 years of being a Christian, I can’t remember a time that a group of churches this large was doing something like this together,” said Todd Unzicker, executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention.
There are approximately 2,800 congregations that partner with the state convention. Nearly 45% participated.
“I think that’s pretty historic,” added Unzicker.
The Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina served at With Love From Jesus Ministries in Raleigh organizing and managing a free clothing and grocery store for guests as part of ServeNC. Photo courtesy Serve NC
Despite a tropical storm that scuttled some outdoor projects, the churches managed a range of aid initiatives. In Winston-Salem, Calvary Baptist Church packed 750 school backpacks. First Baptist Church of Raeford built a wheelchair ramp for a couple in the community. Friendship Southern Baptist Church in Concord put on a “Senior Prom Night” at a local nursing home. Salem Baptist Church in Dobson stocked shelves and bagged groceries at a local food pantry.
The Southern Baptist Convention has faced a series of challenges in recent years: declining membership, a sexual abuse crisis, a crackdown on women pastors, a condemnation of in vitro fertilization, an embrace of Trump and MAGA politics.
