New Beginnings Church in Ludowici is getting ready to deliver some love.

On July 7, 9 and 11, church members will help out in the community. Initially scheduled for June and billed as Love Week, this community-service project will be done to assist people in need.  

“Oftentime, we say with our mouth that we love people, but we want to show it with our hands and feet. We want people to see the goodness of the church,” Pastor Tom Gardner said.

During that week, church members will cut grass, clean yards, paint and pressure-wash houses and prepare meals, Gardner said. They also plan to make 200 boxes of food to give to the community.

Gardner said the church is targeting the Long County area “because we want to begin at home, and there is so much need in the community.”
“We want to see how many hours we can spend sharing and loving on people. At the end of the week, we want to be able to say that we did 70 hours or more of service for the community,” he said.

The efforts are ways for the church to give back to the community that has made it a success story. Gardner said the church, which is located at 2047 Highway 57 in Ludowici, began July 4, 2010, and has become the largest church in Long County. On March 29, New Beginnings started a second Sunday service — worship now is at 9:15 and 11 a.m. — and has seen a 30 percent to 40 percent increase since then, with average attendance at about 500 each Sunday.

“New Beginning is a healthy and vibrant church,” Gardner said. “In order to see church growth, you must first do it God’s way. You must preach the word of God. You must also go out into the community and meet the needs of the people. You cannot only focus on the spiritual needs, but there are other needs. You must have community outreach.”  

Gardner also noted that church must be relevant.  

“We don’t change God’s message, but some methods have changed,” he said. “We must serve the present age. We have different cultures and different age groups in our church.”   

For additional information about the Love Week activities, call Gardner at 912-269-1609 or the church at 545-3141. You may also go to www.anewbeginningchurch.com or find the church on Facebook.