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“We want to help people feel welcome and feel comfortable,” says Alex Groth, pastor at Beautiful Savior, Cincinnati, Ohio, about the new mission opportunity in Oakley, Ohio. “One of the hallmarks of this second site is reaching out to people who do not have a lot of community. I think there’s a decent amount of people in the Oakley area who really struggle with loneliness.”
Making quality connections is one of the main initial goals of Beautiful Savior’s second site in Oakley. Beautiful Savior’s young adult group is spearheading this initiative as members conduct service projects to build relationships in the area.
The group has done two service projects so far, one in September 2023 and another this past March. Both projects were centered on the concept of doing random acts of kindness in the community. From taping coins with a Bible passage or encouraging note to parking meters and picking up trash at the park to handing out free flowers and dropping off items to the local Ronald McDonald House and a homeless shelter, these seemingly “small” acts have begun to introduce people to God’s love.
“These random acts of kindness give us opportunities just to connect with people and basically share God’s love by doing kind things for people in the community,” says Nicole Pitts, one of the members of the young adult group who is also working part time at Beautiful Savior to help with this outreach.
While this is just the beginning of the mission work, there have been a few connections made in that community. Not only have these projects started planting the seeds of God’s Word, but they also have inspired the young adults involved to continue to share the good news.
Beautiful Savior’s second site is part of WELS’ 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative. Being one of the first missions approved in this initiative is both exciting and humbling for all involved. “That felt pretty awesome to be a part of this synodical thing that is, I think, not only really amazing but needed,” says Groth. “For us to be included in that first list was a real blessing.” The new site in Oakley, approved as a new home mission in 2023, is currently calling for a pastor to lead the mission.
The momentum from these acts of kindness will only continue to grow as the love of the Savior continues to be spread. Groth says, “God has put a group of people around here that I think, if we have the chance, could do really great things for God’s glory.”
Nicole Tessmer
Learn more about the 100 Missions in 10 Years initiative at wels100in10.net. Read about this year’s newly approved home mission opportunities at forwardinchrist.net/new-missions-approved-2024.
Author: Nicole Tessmer
Volume 111, Number 06
Issue: June 2024
