Love Your Neighbor mobilizes Columbus-area churches for service, gospel outreach By HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index Thursday, October 1, 2026 COLUMBUS, Ga. — Hundreds of Georgia Baptists spread across Columbus and surrounding communities for 23 Love Your Neighbor projects last weekend, displaying the love of Jesus by meeting practical needs, while looking for opportunities to pray with people and share the gospel. Beth Ann Williams, lead strategist for Mission Georgia, said 331 volunteers from 26 churches and one Baptist Collegiate Ministry participated in the projects. An additional 250 girls attending the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Next Gen Fervent conference took part in a backpack project. Organizers reported 1,994 neighbors engaged, 1,017 gospel conversations, and one profession of faith. The projects included providing free dental care, building beds for children, hosting neighborhood block parties, filling backpacks for students and foster children, providing meals for people experiencing homelessness, showing appreciation to first responders, church repair and renovation projects, prayer outreach, and practical skills classes. Before volunteers headed out Saturday morning, Tim Jones, associational mission strategist for the Columbus Baptist Association, reminded them why they were giving up part of their weekend. “We don’t do this for acceptability’s sake,” Jones said. “This we do for the gospel’s sake.” Jones acknowledged that serving can be inconvenient, tiring, and sometimes uncomfortable. “My gut says no, but my God says go,” he told volunteers. “If we have to go, it becomes a matter of obedience.” Jones said the association had already been looking for ways its churches could work together missionally in Columbus when it connected with Mission Georgia’s Love Your Neighbor emphasis. “We’ve got mission teams going everywhere, but Columbus is lost,” Jones said.  He said he was encouraged not only by the number of churches participating, but by the creativity of the projects and the willingness of congregations to work together. Two churches in south Columbus, for example, joined forces for one outreach rather than working separately. Jones said he hopes the experience will encourage participating churches to do it again and lead other congregations to join them in the future.  Beallwood Baptist Church served as a hub for the event. Senior Pastor David Mills said cooperation is already familiar to many Columbus-area pastors, who gather each Monday for prayer and fellowship. “It’s not difficult to get the pastors together,” Mills said, noting that 15 to 25 pastors and ministry leaders typically participate in the weekly gathering. “There’s a lot of communication that happens amongst them. And you’ve got something already built in that gets it moving forward.”  Mills said Love Your Neighbor allowed churches to take the love of Christ outside their buildings, not just invite people in. “You’ve got both in the Scripture — ‘Come and see’ and ‘Go and tell,’” he said. Mills grew up in a family that did not attend church regularly and said invitations from friends first showed him that Christians cared about him. A Sunday school teacher’s conviction as she taught about Christ’s death and resurrection also made an impression on him before he eventually came to faith at 16. He said that experience still shapes how he views reaching people outside the church. “There’s such an enormous gap between people in the churches and their communities,” Mills said. He said serving people and initiating conversations can help overcome some of the suspicion or distance people may feel toward churches.  At Kirkland Baptist Church, a Baptist Mobile Health ministry mobile unit provided free dental care to people from across Columbus on Friday and Saturday. Pastor Travis Rigsby said about 15 Kirkland volunteers served each day, not counting the dental professionals. “We love our community, for one thing, and we love the city of Columbus, and we want to show the love of Christ,” Rigsby said. He said some patients became emotional after receiving treatment. “We’ve even had some that have gone through having a tooth pulled come in crying,” Rigsby said. “And we’re like, ‘Are you OK?’ And they say, ‘No, we’re just so touched that you would think of us and do something like this.’” Waymond Peavey had five teeth extracted at the clinic. He said the treatment brought him a step closer to receiving dentures. “Now I can get dentures so I can finally smile — I haven’t smiled in years,” Peavey said. “This is a blessing.” Arlisa Watson also had an extraction but said the way volunteers treated her mattered as much as the dental work. “It meant the world to me — not just to get the service, but to feel loved while receiving it,” Watson said. “The love from this church, from this ministry, and from the dental crew — everybody just gave 110%.” Some volunteers traveled from outside the Columbus area to participate. Millie Beverly of Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens came with young adults and other members of her church. She said that she and her husband host their church’s college and career Bible study and have tried to help younger adults learn missions by participating in it themselves. “Missions is what we’re supposed to be doing, supposed to be helping,” she said. “It’s an opportunity, and it’s an easy way to kind of ease them into it — to do something, just do a day-trip kind of thing.” At Piney Grove Baptist Church in Harris County, volunteers turned the church campus into a community skills fair. Classes included basic automotive maintenance, smartphone assistance for senior adults, first aid and CPR, cooking, crocheting, technology help, and budgeting and finance. A prayer area was also available. Olivia Moody, a member of Piney Grove’s outreach committee, said the goal was to meet people who might not have someone to help them learn basic skills while also making sure they knew someone cared about them. “We’re wanting to show them exactly what God has shown us: love,” Moody said. “This is an open event to anybody — everyone’s welcome to just come feel loved.” Pastor Mickey Adams said the practical classes were intended to open doors for deeper conversations. “All that’s designed to be an entryway to begin to see what the needs are and share Jesus with them,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.” In south Columbus, Overcome Ministries hosted a block party that included food, games, activities, health resources, and opportunities for prayer and gospel conversations. Chiedu Uyamadu, a Columbus State University BCM student, was among those volunteering. “I feel like you should at least come out here to learn how to serve others,” Uyamadu said. He encouraged other students to be willing to set aside some of their own plans and give their time to others “to show the love of Jesus.” Sheila Mullens of Greater Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church said her belief that Christians can help bring people together led her to volunteer. “The community is so divided right now, and we need to bring the community together as Christians,” she said. Looking across the block party, Mullens said the diversity of those gathered was part of what encouraged her. “There’s no division out here,” she said. “It doesn’t matter — all races, all types. ... We’re all God’s children.” Jones said one of his hopes is that the effects of Love Your Neighbor will continue after the projects are finished. He said he wants neighbors to know churches are present in their communities, wants people to come to faith in Christ, and hopes new relationships will lead people to visit participating churches. Williams expressed a similar hope after the weekend, saying she is praying for continued relationships to develop between churches and their neighbors. --- PHOTOS --- File: 20260930-212456-491-Block Party 3.jpg Caption: Royce Railey, BCM campus minister at Columbus State University, cooks during a block party hosted by Overcome Ministries as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212459-364-Block Party 6.jpg Caption: A volunteer, right, speaks with a guest during a block party hosted by Overcome Ministries as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212501-b3c-Beds 5.jpg Caption: A volunteer works on a part of a bed frame as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212503-c00-Bridge 10 copy.jpg Caption: Volunteers build a pedestrian bridge at Gentian Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212506-f59-Dental 1 copy.jpg Caption: A patient enters a mobile dental clinic at Kirkland Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212509-79b-Piney Grove 8.jpg Caption: Volunteers teach visitors basic carpentry at Piney Grove Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Fortson, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212511-5ef-Backpacks 7 copy.jpg Caption: Girls attending the Fervent Conference pack backpacks for foster families at Calvary Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212513-187-Steve 12.jpg Caption: Steve Foster, GBMB evangelism catalyst, trains volunteers at Beallwood Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212516-652-Bridge 5.jpg Caption: Volunteers build a pedestrian bridge at Gentian Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212518-e32-Tim 10.jpg Caption: Tim Jones, AMS of the Columbus Baptist Association, speaks with volunteers at Beallwood Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212522-a06-Beds 10 copy.jpg Caption: Volunteers work on bed frames as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212528-2c7-Block Party 1.jpg Caption: A volunteer makes a bracelet for a guest during a block party hosted by Overcome Ministries as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212534-219-Dental 7.jpg Caption: A patient receives treatment at a mobile dental clinic at Kirkland Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212536-c41-Piney Grove 5.jpg Caption: Volunteers teach visitors basic carpentry at Piney Grove Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Fortson, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212538-a03-Backpacks 8.jpg Caption: A volunteer packs backpacks for foster families at Calvary Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand) File: 20260930-212540-5c3-Prayer 1.jpg Caption: Volunteers pray at Beallwood Baptist Church as part of the Mission Georgia Love Your Neighbor community outreach event in Columbus, Ga., Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (Index/Henry Durand)