Bellevue Baptist Church    2000 Appling Rd. Cordova, TN 38016    www.bellevue.org
Dr. Steve Gaines, Pastor

Bellevue Serves Community in Practical Ways

Volunteers from Bellevue Baptist Church participated in an All-Church Outreach Day on Saturday, February 23. About 500 volunteers met in Bellevue's Fellowship Hall at 8:00 a.m. to divide into teams that would minister in 21 different locations throughout the city.

Projects included fencing, painting dugouts on the baseball field, and installing new corkboard strips in the 9th grade hall at White Station High School; painting, calking, and cleaning at the Boys' Ranch in Millington; and installing a playground at Moriah House, a home for battered women and their children.

"Just like Jesus did when he went out, he would preach, but he wouldn't just preach, he would also heal, feed the multitudes and minister to physical needs and it would open doors through service evangelism," said Dr. Steve Gaines, Bellevue's Senior Pastor.

"We as a church have tended to isolate ourselves from the community," said Tim Whitehorn, volunteer at the White Station project. "This project enabled us to not just say with words that ‘Jesus loves you,' but to actually get out and show His love with our hands - like Jesus did during His earthly ministry."

The workday was part of the church's new "Bellevue Loves Memphis" emphasis begun under the leadership of Dr. Steve Gaines in 2007. During the church's annual Love Offering in November, members gave $1,700,984 to fund ministry projects to Memphis.

The Outreach Day on February 23 was the first of several outreach days already planned for April 19, August 23, and October 18. Bellevue will also begin new on-going ministries through "Bellevue Loves Memphis" including a College Student Center and a dental ministry.

"People are noticing that we are reaching out in practical ways. Now we've put our shoe leather on our Christianity and we're going out there to help people. And it's all so that we can lead people to a faith in Jesus Christ," said Dr. Gaines.

Bellevue Baptist Church is located on Appling Road at I-40 in Cordova. For more information about the church or any of its ministries, please call (901) 347-2000, or visit the church's website at www.bellevue.org. 

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