| abstract |
"This is what our church used to do: Reconnecting our community to municipal resources in the midst and aftermath of natural disaster" was birthed out of an effort
to provide the members of Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Kingstree, South Carolina opportunities to rekindle a desire to serve beyond its walls.
The goal was to reawaken an intentional, relevant, inclusive and sustainable desire for outreach ministries. The premise of the project was predicated upon the October
Flood of 2015, which brought a high level of devastation to the community in which Greater Bethel serves. Greater Bethel's congregation, for the first time in many
years, came together to address the many needs that became prevalent during this unprecedented time of peril. Utilizing the phrase, "this is what we used to do",
the Greater Bethel family garnered a new motivation to aid its community while reflecting on its storied history that was once etched in community outreach and
social justice. By creating opportunities for members to participate in a Learning Lab/Bible Study series, a Sermon Series, a Community Soup Kitchen Ministry
and a Community Resource Fair, the goal of the project was to create a sustainable desire within the congregation of Greater Bethel to serve the Kingstree Community
in times of well-being. Using Greater Bethel's history as the cornerstone of the Kingstree community, the project sought to rekindle this desire and motivation by
reminding the congregation that this is what we used to do.
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