BY Mary Helen Myers
Mascotte Civic Center was the location for the Tuscanooga Baptist Church, on Thanksgiving Eve, to serve well over 200 free dinners to those in the community.
As guests arrived, church members welcomed each at the door, sharing Bibles and offering to have prayer with those with prayer needs. Once inside, passing down a serving line, other church members provided guests with plates filled with turkey, dressing and all the trimmings.
Many senior citizens, as well as those from group homes, and others, came to enjoy the blessings experienced throughout the evening. For the elderly and others not physically able to attend, church members delivered Thanksgiving meals to their homes. By serving others, and sharing the Good News Message of Jesus Christ, gave Christians an opportunity to put Christ’s Love into action for the community.While meals were being served at Mascotte, other church members were busy preparing meals for those in nearby Sumter County at the Center Hill Community Center. Tuscanooga Baptist Church, 18540 Tuscanooga Road, is located near the Lake and Sumter County Line; about five miles northwest of Mascotte and about the same distance southeast of Center Hill.
To share an update on the recent Shoe box Ministry (Operation Christmas Child), sponsored by the Samaritan’s Purse Organization, the total number of shoe boxes, which passed through Tuscanooga Baptist Church, totaled 2,046. As one of the South Lake County drop-off locations, 50 volunteers at Tuscanooga Baptist Church, donating close to 300 hours of time, stayed busy packing shoe boxes, accepting donations from the community, organizing, and loading two semi trucks with the shoe boxes, destined for the Regional Distribution Center in Atlanta, Georgia. From there, the shoe boxes, filled with gender- and age-appropriate gifts, will find their way throughout the world, delivering gifts to the less fortunate children, and sharing the message of love and hope found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Before leaving on their journey, each shoe box, with an enclosed personal message from the sender, was prayed over, along with a special prayer for the child who would receive it.
During National Collection Week in November, a total of 7,550 shoe boxes left from the various drop-off locations in South Lake County, and the total collected at the nine drop-off locations in Lake and Sumter County was 30,784! Much gratitude is extended to all those who participated in this ministry.
