Ward was named an official Lighthouse Church by Samaritan’s Purse!

You may have noticed the new Samaritan’s Purse Vehicle that we now have in our parking lot…. this vehicle was earned and given to Ward’s Disaster Relief Team through a process of careful preparation and consideration. We are honored to be named an official Lighthouse and cannot wait to get started!

What Is a Lighthouse Church?

In the aftermath of disasters, Samaritan Purse’s Disaster Relief teams rely on local congregations, church leaders and infrastructure to serve as the backbone of their efforts. Without the hard work and leadership of local churches, their work could not be accomplished in disaster-affected communities.

Ward has been named a Host Church allowing us to be on the list of churches prepared to serve local hurting communities as they help identify needs and provide a base of operations for Samaritan Purse’s team, staff and volunteers. We have agreed to guide our community toward hope and recovery during times of crisis. We now have a Disaster Response Vehicle that is disaster-equipped for local ministries to use and strategically prepare to be ready to deploy regionally at a moment’s notice.

During times of disaster and tragedy we seek to see people helped and the Gospel of Jesus Christ made known. One of the central tenets of Samaritan’s Purse is to help strengthen and expand the ministry of the local church, because they believe this is where God intended for ministry to originate. Hurting people need to know in the midst of so much loss that their hope is not gone but that it’s found only in the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We recently sent Sue our Director of Local + Global Outreach and Matt our Facility Manager on site at Samaritan Purse’s headquarters and they learned all about what this would mean for our church. Not only are they prepared to organize should we need to respond as a church to a natural disaster, but they have also been personally equipped with the physical skills to step in to make that difference! After the training Matt said, “I found it impressive that Samaritan’s Purse considers the Disaster Relief Vehicle as just a tool to equip the local church to share the gospel. The most important thing is investing time to meet the needs of the property owner. Whether it’s being a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, that should always come first over the disaster cleanup, or the project work itself.”

We are so proud of this new commitment and opportunity to offer help!