Act of love and charity to our community

In the message of President Carter this past Sunday, he set forth a challenge to the congregation. He asked everyone to agree to go back home and perform and act of love and charity to our community. Accepting this challenge, we set out to do a small act of kindness for our community.

My aunt is a college professor at Moorehead State University in Kentucky. This position puts her working at numerous schools throughout the region (we actually live in West Virginia), and she sees a lot of the needs of each area. Seeing a need, this prompted her to seek out money and permission to set up a miniature library next to a playground and a memorial bench for a deceased student.

Once the box arrived, we were able to build a wooden mount for it and lag bolt it to a post we set in concrete. After a few little modifications, we were able to place some books inside and declare this library officially open for business.

Hopefully, in the near future, if money is available, we will be able to increase the number of these miniature libraries, making them accessible to all children (and needing adults) throughout our region.

We will also be purchasing and installing some baby changing tables into the Wayne Community Center, a former high school gymnasium that is now utilized by almost all of the residents of Wayne County, WV. The credit to this goes to my wife. She saw a need for these and has placed them on my “honey do” list. Hopefully, these baby changing stations will be a benefit to all local parents utilizing the facility. Once they arrive in the mail, they will be promptly installed. ?

It is not our nature to post or broadcast our charity, regardless of its size, preferring the glory be to God; however, we did promise to share our plans and activities with the church. These are small acts and may provide confidence to others to set out to do the same. As President Carter said, if we all set out do  kind things, we can improve the world we live in with love.

We would also like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to all of members of Maranatha Baptist, the Carter family, and all the residents of Plains, GA for welcoming us into your community and congregation. Everyone was extremely friendly, welcoming, and truly exemplified “southern hospitality”. We left feeling as though we were part of your family. God Bless you.

- Jeremy and Heather Clayborne
Wayne County, WV