Newspaper Page Text
Page 7C
■ Reporter
June 8, 2022
Bethany Baptist pantry
meets needs every Mon.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Bethany Baptist Church in
Bolingbroke wants to serve
the community’s physical
and spiritual needs. To that
end volunteers at Bethany
have offered the Bread &
Blessings Food Pantry for
over 10 years. The pantry
is in the church’s fellowship
hall at 365 Pea Ridge Road
near Bolingbroke and is
open every Monday from
10 a.m.-12 noon.
The pantry stocks shelf
stable goods, including
canned meats, vegetables,
fruits and sauces; pasta; ce
real and juices. Sometimes
breads are available, and
there are also some personal
hygiene items for those who
need them. The church
doesn’t have refrigeration or
freezer space and can’t offer
items that require them.
Over the past year, visitors
to the pantry have remained
few, and the volunteers
worry that those who need
the pantry don’t know about
it. They want to spread the
word that they are eager to
help those who need help
with food. People had been
asked only to use the pantry
once per month but may
now use it twice a month
because of the availability of
supplies and because fami
lies may have a greater need
for food with children home
for the summer.
“This church has a heart
for the needy, following
the heart of Jesus, who fed
the 5,000 with only a few
fish and barley loaves,” said
Bethany Baptist Pastor
Jimmy Corbitt. “We have
seen a multiplication of
resources and volunteers.”
Before the pandemic the
Bread & Blessings minis
try was housed in a trailer
behind the church, and it
included a clothes closet
as well as the food pantry.
The pantry was moved to
the fellowship hall for easier
management as it became
a drive-through operation.
Volunteer Judy Kornegay
said that she hears requests
for clothing from those who
visit the pantry, especially
for clothing in large sizes,
and hopes the church will
be able to reopen the clothes
closet again as pandemic
precautions subside.
The Bethany pantry has
sponsored the St. James
Baptist Church food distri
bution in Forsyth, which
serves about 250 families on
the fourth Tuesday of each
month. Several of the Beth
any volunteers also work at
the St. James distribution
and feel there is a need for
food in the community
from the participation they
see each month.
The food distributed at
St. James is provided by
the Macon Community
Food Bank. The Food Bank
will only provide a mobile
food distribution like the
one at St. James, which is
free to the distributors as
well as the recipients, if it is
sponsored by a stationary
food pantry, like the one at
Bethany Baptist, which buys
food from the Food Bank.
The Food Bank temporarily
suspended the distribution
at St. James because Bethany
Baptist hasn’t ordered food
since November because it
didn’t have people taking
food.
Bethany is planning to
have a new sign in front
of the church to let people
know about the pantry,
is posting information
about the pantry on its
web page and is sending
flyers to other churches
with information about the
pantry. With its location at
the south end of the county,
it hopes to serve people
who don’t have transporta
tion to Forsyth for the food
distribution there as well as
to serve people who might
not be able to go to the food
distribution the one time
each month that it is avail
able. Volunteers emphasize
that anyone who needs food
is welcome.
Kornegay said that no one
is required to attend any
church functions or listen to
any message in order to get
food. However, volunteers
are always willing to pray
with people and listen to
them. She recalls one young
mother who came back in
side the pantry after getting
food and told volunteers she
was disappointed no one
had asked to pray with her,
which of course they did at
that point.
Corbitt said the church
has two other mission
teams, one which supports
an orphanage in Honduras
and another that distributes
Bibles in Russia. It also has a
prison ministry that works
with inmates at the A1 Bur-
russ prison in Forsyth. He
said Bethany has a Wednes
day evening youth ministry
Pictured at the Bread & Blessings pantry are Rev. Jimmy Corbitt, right; Bethany Baptist
secretary Kathy Miller, left, and volunteers Wendy Thackston, Elaine Conner, Jill Morgan,
Linda Pryne, Judy Kornegay, Jeanette Bradley,Theresa Bass.
and Sunday worship ser
vices that include “tire best
choir in Central Georgia.”
Corbitt said Bethany
began by meeting in various
homes, including his, then
rented a building for 2 1/2
years. It moved to its current
location in 2004 and has
now paid off the mortgage.
He said the congregation
feels very blessed and wants
to share its blessings with
others in the community.
Theresa Bass is the direc
tor of Bread & Blessings.
She handles the paperwork
needed to keep the ministry
going.
Bass is assisted by church
secretary Kathy Miller and
by many faithful volun
teers, including Wendy
Thackston, Jill Morgan, Judy
Kornegay, Linda Payne,
Elaine Conner and Jeanette
Bradley, who make sure
someone is always available
to have the pantry open on
Monday mornings and that
the food is always appropri
ately arranged and stocked.
Sylvia Hoover was instru
mental in starting Bread &
Blessings, and Jeff Rader
was a long time volunteer
jn
at the pantry and clothes
closet.
The volunteers urge ev
eryone to share information
about the pantry with any
one who might be blessed
by it. For more information,
call the church office at 478-
974-0002.
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