Tennessee Church Joins With Area Churches in Outreach
A network of churches and community partners in Maryville, Tennessee, has worked together on Isaiah 58 for the past six years, a food distribution project initially started by RIO (Restoration International Outreach) Central in Maryville.
By Melanie Tucker, the Maryville Daily Times
Ronnie Hepperly, former senior pastor for RIO Central and now Missions Director for the 11 churches, said to date, almost 2 million pounds of food have been given out to this county’s most needy.
He knows that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of others, and what he’s about to do next will require even more collaboration and cooperation.
Linking arm in arm
This church, with its foundation in the Church of God, has teamed up with Baptist, Methodist and other churches on Isaiah 58. Now, Hepperly is launching Project 714 as RIO continues on its mission of helping the hurting.
“I have been told before by people that churches don’t play well together,” Hepperly said. “We are declaring war on that. We declared war on hunger in 2010. We are saying that is unacceptable. If we are to act like the Christians that we are and we are planning to go to heaven, we better get along now.”
Project 714 is based on scripture, II Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Now that Isaiah 58 is firmly planted in this county, Hepperly and Kim Knight., RIO Missions Marketing Director, are pushing ahead. Project 714 will have different offshoots — Worship 714, Prayer 714 and Give 714. Congregations and businesses are invited to join.
Project 714, Hepperly and Knight explained, will focus on a monthly event, but it won’t look like a traditional worship service.
It might be held in a stadium, arts center, large church or amphitheater. A concert will be surrounded by booths and tents set up by the various participants. Some might be selling T-shirts to raise money to go on a mission trip. Some might have CDs for sale while others will be handing out diapers and other necessities.
“It is about our families in the community being at risk and suffering from hunger, addictions and abuse,” Knight said. “We are blessed people. We need to do something to help the ones who suffer. We need to stand together.”
Wanting to do more
There are seven RIO churches in Blount County, two in Knox, one in Loudon and one in Sevier. Here in Blount County, RIO operates a disaster team, provides backpacks of food for children in 10 different elementary schools to take home, holds an annual back-to-school shoe giveaway and more.
The idea for Project 714, Hepperly said, came some 20 years ago as he joined the chaplain program here. He met fellow pastors like Greg Long at Pleasant Grove Baptist and Raymond Burnett at Mt. Lebanon Baptist.
“Through the chaplain program, we started having prayer meeting every Tuesday morning at Mt. Lebanon,” Hepperly said. “We built relationships.”
This past year, Hepperly said Long went with him to Panama and Peru.
Stronger together
Maryville Vineyard, Beech Grove Baptist, Middlesettlements United Metodist and Fairview UMC have all worked on projects with RIO. Heppely said one of the goals in starting RIO those years ago was to knock down the walls between denominations.
The offerings taken up at Project 714 events will be used to further the ministry, Hepperly said. Projects not yet thought of and others that have been around for years. That will include a construction ministry that helps repair roofs and build ramps for handicapped individuals.
“This is almost like a clearinghouse for ministries,” Hepperly said.
Because Hepperly has been in ministry for so long, he understands the value of linking arms with leaders, city and county officials and other churches, Knight said.
Addiction is a serious problem in this community and Project 714 will get the necessary components together that can help with that. There will be newcomers seeking to connect with a church home. Project 714 will be able to offer suggestions.
“Whatever the need is, we feel like we have the ability to point folks in the direction where they can get help,” Hepperly said.
This idea that was born out of the premise that we are stronger together is taking root. There will be a fundraiser later on. Right now, Hepperly and Knight are excited to be introducing the plan to Blount County in hopes more will want to team up.
This is simply taking Isaiah 58 to a new level, Knight and Hepperly said.
“Can you imagine if the majority of churches in this county come together with common goals? And they like each other and love each other and respect each other. Can you imagine what we could do?” Hepperly said.
