Funds for Easter play buy groceries instead

By Isaac Olivarez (5/30/04)

Instead of using its $25,000 Easter budget toward stage props, lighting and costumes for its large annual Easter play, Faith Tabernacle Assembly of God in Oklahoma City bought 75,000 pounds of food to give away the day before Easter.

The food — which included potatoes, canned vegetables, beans, rice, cereal, and soup — was distributed through 5,000 Boxes of Hope divided among three age groups.

“Sometimes people outside the church aren’t aware of things we want to do for them,” says Rebecca Washington, member of Faith Tabernacle for five years who helped pack and distribute boxes. “By our doing something out of love and showing them we care, it shows them the love of Christ.”

The event, called Project Hope, featured presentations in the church sanctuary by Senior Pastor Terry Bates in English and Spanish. Attendees were invited to church on Easter for a kids celebration and illustrated message for adults. Despite a cold and rainy day, church volunteers gave away more than 1,000 boxes of food to area residents. The rest of the boxes were given to local charities and organizations to be distributed later.

Bates says the purpose of giving away 5,000 boxes of groceries on Easter weekend is to express the church’s desire to minister on a regular basis to the people in the surrounding area.

“We wanted to capture the attention of our city with something big and memorable,” Bates says. “But our goal is to do much more than give away food. We want to build relationships with the people in our community.”