By Brett Hetherington*

For a church to truly serve their community it requires getting outside the walls of the church building. Recently, Otterbein United Methodist Church (Tuscarawras District) in Navarre had the opportunity to do just that, serving the teachers at its local elementary school in a very tangible way.

On the day that parent-teacher conferences were scheduled, the teachers were left with little time to eat dinner between the end of the school day and the beginning of the conference sessions. The Reaching New People ministry at the church decided to provide homemade soups and salads, as well as desserts and drinks for the teachers in the time between the end of the school day and the beginning of conferences. The team saw this an opportunity to show these women that they are loved and appreciated, and that the church is committed to reaching their community. This follows a similar event just a week earlier where the same team provided hot cocoa, coffee and donuts to the district bus drivers as a way to say “thank you” for their committed service to the children of the community.

If you have a story of how God is using your local church in your community, please contact me at eoccommunications@eocumc.com. The East Ohio Conference Communications team wants to tell your story.

*Brett Hetherington is the Communications Specialist for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.