“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’” Matthew 25:34-36

Madison East Outreach Ministry has been touching the hearts and souls in several neighborhoods in the Madison community. We have several ongoing outreach efforts. In 2016, we started donations to The Road Home, a Dane County program that is committed to ending the issue of family homelessness in our community. The church has poured out her heart over the years fulfilling The Road Home’s wish list which includes; cleaning supplies, toilet paper and towels, laundry detergent and bleach, garbage bags, dish detergents and soaps for men and women, gift cards and financial support. There is a donation box located in the church foyer. This ministry came to a halt in early 2020 due to COVID-19. They still have a website for online donations which we will start announcing in our bulletin.

In early 2019 we reached out to “Christmas Behind Bars” which collects new and used Bibles, and new and used devotionals for men and women. The inmates love the used Bibles, especially if they have written footnotes or highlighted scriptures that were marked by their previous owners because it helps them study better. We received a couple of letters from the inmates thanking the church for our Bible donations. Also, in the foyer there is a small Christmas tree with small envelopes for donations to Christmas Behind Bars Ministry, we call it “The Giving Tree.” This ministry is year round and not just for Christmas.

At the beginning of June, 2020 ,we started a food drive with the goal of filling 100 large brown grocery bags with three meals of non-perishable foods, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Pastor Loren Nelson also found us some hand sanitizer for each bag. Our church food pantry provided items also. Our Three Angels Christian School kids made blessing cards for each bag. Volunteers from our church helped filled the bags, and the Pathfinders provided the bags. Signs and flyers were made and distributed in the community and posted on well-traveled roads. Two hundred flyers were put on cars. A huge banner was set up in front of the church. The “Grab-N-Go” was launched at the church on November 19, 2020, from 2-4pm, just before Thanksgiving. Sixty bags were distributed and the Lord truly blessed. We had our second “Grab-N-Go” December 19, and the Lord blessed again. There were still a few bags of groceries left over, so the church reached out to shut-ins. A church member carries several bags in his car at all times and has been giving them out to the homeless and less fortunate asking for help that he sees on the corners at stop light and stop signs.

Madison East is not done yet. We will still continue to reach out in our communities. We have learned of Jesus’ methods. We go to them when they cannot come to us. Pandemic or not, the gospel must be shared. In Psalms 91, God says, in times of trouble, He will be with us. “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it (COVID-19) shall not come near you.” Amen and Amen.

Madison East Church Outreach Ministry Coordinators:

Christine Devalle / Maiara Goncalves