“Ready… set… GO!” Church 5K for Community Outreach Beats Rain!

So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

After a few days of perfect sunshine, we had a lot of rain Friday evening, then it rained even more during the night, and it rained Saturday morning… but it did not rain for our church “17th Annual Movin’ for Community Outreach 5K” organized to benefit Tarboro Community Outreach.

People showed up. Some people showed up with umbrellas. Others stayed home but gave anyway. The community came together, and money was raised – a generous amount of money – for the homeless shelter and the food pantry.

Or, as advocates prefer to say nowadays, “People experiencing homelessness” and “People experiencing food insecurity.”

No matter how you describe it, the need remains and this church, Howard Memorial Presbyterian, was not only instrumental in starting the community ministry at its inception, but continues to be a leader in supporting and encouraging in every possible way.

Here is the start – better than a still photograph when there’s running involved!

– And they’re off! The Start by Sister Mary Ann of Community Outreach

I participated, yes; but my orientation was not exactly racing. I enjoyed a relaxing walk with some of those toward the end of the pack!

Sometimes, when I am invited to speak at other congregations, I ask the following question. “If this church vanished overnight, if everything completely disappeared, would your community be any different? Would people even notice you were gone?”

– Some runners are more serious than other!

The answer here is a resounding, “YOU BET!!” I put it this way in an article on the Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church website, “It is obvious that this church loves the community. There is a deep affection that runs both ways, and Tarboro is not just a town with a Presbyterian Church, it is a community with a Presbyterian Heart!”