We are, without a doubt, commanded to proclaim the gospel to everyone. It is our ultimate calling to be witnesses to the power and love of God to the world around us. In the grand scope of things, their spiritual health is of utmost importance. We can feed the whole world, but if they do not know Jesus, it is of little benefit to them spiritually. But there is also a harsh reality that the church faces: Sometimes it is hard to hear the gospel over the rumbling of your own stomach. What I mean by this is that for so many in this world who are struggling with poverty and hunger, it is hard to hear “God loves you” when it seems like the whole world is against them. We can stand on the street corner loudly proclaiming that Jesus is the way, but that does nothing to meet the immediate need for the single mom raising her children who can barely pay the bills, or for the grandparents who are stepping up to care for their grandchildren because the parents are absent. What about the family that works, but it just does not seem to be enough; then the car breaks down, and they must choose between fixing the car or eating? Where do the church and the gospel fit in these scenarios?
Trying to meet both the physical and the spiritual needs of others can seem like an impossible task. Yet this is exactly where God has positioned the church—your church—in a very special place to meet both the needs of the body as well as the spiritual needs of the people in your community. For our smaller churches, which make up the majority, this can seem like an overwhelming task. However, I would like to share with you what God has done through the small church I pastor in Rockwood, Tennessee, to testify to what God can do when we step out in faith.
I have been at the Rockwood COGOP for almost 10 years now. During that time, we have struggled with how to reach out to the community, especially after the COVID-19 shutdown. About four and a half years ago, I began to feel impressed to open what many call a “blessing box.” Naturally, there were some uncertainties, questions, doubts, and fears: How will we afford to keep it stocked? Won’t people just vandalize it? What about the ones who just choose to not work; won’t they abuse it? To be honest, I was one of those asking some of these questions. My background in law enforcement makes me somewhat skeptical of people in general.
As we stepped forward in faith, we were blessed to find a great deal on a small drink cooler and placed it at the church. From the beginning, the goal was not just about feeding people; it was about connecting with the community. I started posting about this on a local county-based Facebook page, and the response was huge—both from those needing the support as well as those who wanted to help. In the four years we have operated the Care Cabinet (the name we gave it), we have never run out of food. Multiples times each week, I have found items stocked in the cabinet that did not come from us but from anonymous donors in the community. On several occasions I have found the cabinet stocked completely full, all from donations from outside the Church. God had shown himself faithful as we answered the call.
Jump forward to earlier this year, 2025. I began to feel in my spirit that God was calling us to step up and go bigger. We had seen our sister Church in Crab Orchard, Tennessee, with Pastor Marcy Brannon, grow their “Little Red Shed” food ministry into a larger storage building, and at the same time, they began to offer pre-made meals to the community on an almost daily basis. I felt this was where God was wanting to take us.
Hesitantly the church agreed to pursue this, and almost immediately God began to work. He had brought us three new people because of the outreach we had been doing through the Care Cabinet. These were not people receiving food through the cabinet, but Christians who wanted to join in the work we were doing. Funds started coming in for a larger building, and within three months we ordered an 8 x 12 metal storage building, and we were given a new drink cooler that worked. On June 15, 2025, we opened the new Care Cottage with prayer, dedication, and commitment.
It took almost no time for us to see that the need in the community was huge but so were the hearts of so many individuals. We were given a refrigerator/freezer combo, which greatly expanded our capacity for perishable items. Many from the community reached out to me privately asking what we needed and what they could do to the point that we have a fairly steady stream of people bringing items to stock the Cottage from outside our church. From the beginning, I had told the church that we had to step out in faith first, and then God would provide. We did, and he has been faithful.
Aside from prayer, one of the greatest things that has helped us to succeed and to meet so many needs was accomplished by reaching out to the community for help. When we post on Facebook, it is not just about what has been stocked in the Cottage, but we also ask for help, listing specific items that we need. I have also used a Tennessee deer hunting forum to ask for any hunters who might have deer meat to donate, and the response has been great. Recently we have had several cash and gift card donations sent to us from across the state from people thankful for what we are doing. A large farm in Sweetwater reached out to us and is providing produce once a week, some weeks over 200 pounds worth. We have been able to get fresh milk from a dairy distributor that had an overstock. A local food truck reached out wanting to know if we could use the food they had left at the end of the day. The response in general from others wanting to help has been so wonderful and encouraging. God is not only blessing those in need, but he is also creating some great connections.
Sometimes it seems almost impossible to meet all the needs. Roane County, where the church is located, has so many who are suffering. I have seen numbers as high as 49 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Almost half of the county’s residents are just barely getting by. Yes, there are some who choose to live that way, but what we have found is that these are a very small percentage. For the most part, the people who come are just struggling. They work jobs, but decent jobs are in short supply in our county. For so many families, if a car breaks down, a major household item fails, a member of the household has a prolonged health crisis, or something happens that causes a wage earner to miss work, they find themselves in a major financial crisis that can be difficult to recover from. If we as the church can step in and help them out with some food for a day or more, if we can ensure their kids have something to eat or provide a sack lunch for that parent headed to work, then we hope we have helped them to alleviate or circumvent that crisis.
Here are some examples of the demand we have encountered. A few weeks ago, we received 54 half-gallon jugs of milk. These were gone in less than 24 hours. The following day, we received eight crates of half pints of chocolate milk which were also gone in less than 24 hours. Three weeks in a row, both the fridge and the cooler have been filled to almost overflowing with produce, and it has all been taken in less than two days. At least twice a week, we stock the fridge with sack lunches, usually 24 at a time, and they are gone by the next day. I know some would say that it is one person grabbing it all, but we have not seen that happen. Recently while my wife and I were there cleaning and stocking some produce we had picked from a member’s garden, in the space of roughly one hour, we had four different families come by the Care Cottage needing food. It is rare when I am there, even if it is for only a few minutes, that I do not have someone come by in need.
A few examples of people we have encountered include a father of three who stopped by a week ago. He works as an in-home healthcare worker and is between assignments. His wife also works, but with him being out of work, it put them in a tight spot. He was so sweet asking if he could repay the help once he was working again. I told him to just bless someone else, whether through us or somewhere else, once he was back working. We have helped a lady who is caring for her elderly father, and the expense has placed a great burden on her. We have blessed multiple sets of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren due to the parents having substance abuse problems or other issues that have taken them away from the family.
As for the future of the Care Cottage, we see God taking us increasingly in the direction of being able to offer sack lunches or pre-made meals that are ready to eat. We find in general that the quick, ready-to-eat items are always the first to go, whether they go to the homeless who do not have access to appliances or because they are simply easier for people. Snack foods also go very quickly, as well as personal hygiene products. Additionally, we see God opening more doors for partnering with others in the community, including other churches. We have one church, the New Springs COGOP, that has committed to helping us, and we are hoping to hear back from some others very soon.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story about the judgment that is to come:
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34–40 NASB)
God calls us to meet both the spiritual as well as the physical and social needs of those around us. When we step out in faith, God will open doors that we cannot imagine so that we can meet those needs.
How can others help us? First of all, anything and everything helps. There is very little in the way of food or personal hygiene items that won’t bless someone. Individuals who want to donate directly can simply stop by the Cottage 24/7 and place items directly on the shelves or in the refrigerators. If they have a large donation, they can contact me to arrange pickup. Several of our local gardeners and those with chickens have blessed us with donations. We are currently seeking a handful of churches, businesses, or organizations that would commit to doing a “Cottage pounding” once a month which would be a huge blessing to help keep up with the demand. People can also give directly, either by sending in donations to our treasurer or by giving through our portal:
http://Rockwoodcogop.churchtrac.com/give.
The image above features The Care Cottage of the Rockwood Church of God of Prophecy in Rockwood, Tenneessee.
