By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL — Journey Fellowship Pastor Doug McAllister has a reputation for doing things in a big way.
For that matter, one of the first projects at his church many years ago was named the “Big Day in May” when the fellowship held a free outing of food, fun and music for anyone in the town.
Each year for Mother’s Day, the church has always done something special for moms, but in 2012, McAllister and his staff wanted to reach to a new level.
“We talked about it in January and brainstormed about ideas for Mother’s Day,” he said. “In the end, we decided to do a lot of different things, and have one very big, extra special project.”
This year for Mother’s Day, the church will perform eight different projects that will be special blessings for mom, with one in particular standing out among the rest—a $1,000 home makeover for one mother who is selected from nominees that are now being sought.
McAllister is asking anyone in the eastern St. Tammany area, including Lacombe, Slidell and Pearl River, to e-mail a nomination, telling why their nominee has a special need in her home. It can include the need for furniture, kitchen appliances, painting—anything that would provide a makeover of some sort in the home and can be done for $1,000 and plenty of free labor.
“Besides the money we are offering, we will have church members ready to do whatever labor is necessary, and that could include painting rooms, or anything that will help this to be a big blessing for some mom,” he said.
The $1,000 Room Makeover may be the grand prize for Mother’s Day, but the church is not stopping there. They will also be doing the following different things for moms:
—Moms in Jail: Church members will visit moms in jail, blessing them with music, ministry and a gift.
—Maternity Ward Visits: Youth team members in the church will visit all four area hospitals to share encouragement for moms.
—Mother’s Day Flash Serve: Church members will surprise moms at North Shore Square mall sometime on Saturday, May 12 with fresh flowers for all the mothers there.
—Hurting Moms: A home cooked meal and words of encouragement will be delivered to the moms of low income housing in New Orleans by Compassion Outreach.
—Mom’s Time Out: Mom gets to drop off the kids on Friday, May 11 for a time out to have dinner with her husband or to shop with girlfriends.
—Lacombe Nursing Home Moms: Youth from the church will visit moms at the nursing home and bring cards, smiles and laughs.
—Diaper Sunday: The church will hold “Diaper Sunday” this week on May 6, and take all the diapers to the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Slidell for mothers who are being ministered to through that group.
“Moms are so valuable. They are the center of the home and need to be blessed for what they do all year long,” McAllister said. “I was fortunate to have a great mom until she died in 1994. I was the fifth of five kids and was spoiled, but my mom was still the one who kept me on the right track in my life.”
McAllister said the church hopes to serve at least 1,000 moms with the various activities.
Anyone who would like to nominate a mom for the “$1,000 Room Makeover” needs to send an e-mail to koni@jfcemail.com or go to the church website for more information: journeyfellowshipchurch.com
The e-mails will be compiled and reviewed by a committee to select the winner, who will be announced on Mother’s Day at church.
Comments are closed.