Giving Hope
Volunteers helped provide food to over 240 families who stopped by the Warrenton Food Fair on April 28th.
Element Church is in the community, creating experiences for life change during the COVID-19 crisis. The love of Christ has been shown to thousands of people locally through the generosity of our church. By giving time, talent, and treasure, you have borne the burdens of those in-need, fulfilling the law of Christ as Paul says in Galatians 6:2.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Showing love in Warrenton
This outpouring of love was evident on April 28 when Element Church came together to serve our family in Warrenton. Alongside local businesses, the national guard, and several volunteers, your generosity helped provide over 23,000 pounds of food to over 240 families during the Warrenton Food Fair.
“This stuff is what we live for” said Corey Lambert, the Community Engagement Director at Element’s Warrenton Campus.
Corey was one of the several volunteers who went out to the Warren County Fairgrounds to pack boxes and fill vehicles with food and supplies. They did all of this in less than three hours, helping hundreds of families continue to put food on the table while they are affected by this crisis.
The next day, the Warrenton campus team took some of the leftover supplies to Papu’s Cuban Café in downtown Warrenton and wanted to show love to the people on the front lines of the pandemic. There they prepared over five hundred meals, which they delivered to doctors and staff at Mercy hospital in St. Louis, thanking them and showing love to people putting their lives on the line to keep our community safe.
Celebrating Jesus in St. Charles
Senior living communities have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 crisis, so our St. Charles Campus has been showing the love of Christ to these seniors in creative ways. Pastor Frank and the prayer team visited Windsor Estates on April 28th to “worship with the staff and pray over them. Then, we gave them a wonderful lunch from Concetta’s. It was awesome to see some of the seniors worshipping in the distance.”
Element Church has not forgotten the people who are quarantined away on their own. Through this the St. Charles campus prayer team encouraged and blessed people who are afraid of what is happening outside, loving God and loving people.
A Donation of Hope
Since opening the Donation Center at Element’s Wentzville campus on March 18th, thousands of lives have been changed through the provision of much-needed groceries and household goods. These have gone to members of our church, community, and beyond thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors.
As this ministry has operated, people have gone to help throughout. Mary Henderson, Element’s Community Engagement Director, said that in a time where hope is failing, this ministry has been able to serve hundreds. This impact is made possible by heroes such as Al St Clair.
“Al St Clair comes to us every couple of weeks to pick up basic supplies for a community of veterans. He also picks up bulk food to prepare dinner a few nights a week for the same group of veterans.”
These donations have also gone to help people who have struggled to provide for their kids after schools closed, partnering with the LEAD School and Blackhurst Elementary.
“We have partnered with the LEAD School in O’Fallon to help nine low income school families in constant need with their kiddos being out of school.”
“We [also] partnered with Angie, a school nurse from Blackhurst Elementary, to help 50 low income school families from the "backpack program" with food and Easter baskets”
Finally, these supplies have served to help individuals who were trapped by the quarantine and had no way to provide for themselves.
“We were able to help out a new mom who was quarantined immediately following the birth of her new baby and only had the supplies she was sent home from the hospital with. She sent a friend up to pick up diapers, formula and wipes!”
Element Church has created experiences for life change during the COVID-19 crisis. The generosity of the church has been fantastic, and much-needed, but we are not finished yet. Mary explained where people can help the most:
“Pray for people in some tough situations. We are hearing many sad stories where hope is failing. Many unchurched or dechurched. And, of course, by donating food and household goods.”
Prayer is powerful, hope is necessary, provisions are essential. Thank you for helping Element Church love God and love people thus far, and thank you for making it possible going forward. To give to COVID-19 relief, we have several ways you can help. If you would like to donate non-perishable goods to the Donation Center, visit elementchurch.com/community to find out how. If you would prefer to give a monetary donation to supplement the donated supplies, you can visit elementchurch.com/give, and when you go to give online, select “COVID-19 Relief” from the dropdown.