Church in Pikeville opens doors to homeless during arctic blast
Lee Station Baptist Church
PIKEVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) — Approaching the harsh, winter weather temperatures sweeping across the nation, one small church in the Tennessee Valley has decided to make a big impact.
Lee Station Baptist Church in Bledsoe County will be opening their doors to those who need a warm meal and a place to stay.
Pastor, Bill Wolfe said, “We get a lot of calls from local law enforcement, SETHRA, Department of Human Services about the homeless. And we try to help all we can. And we got to watching the weather and realized, it’s going to be down to the single digits… And realized that there are people out there who have either inadequate heating, or are totally homeless. So we wanted to show the love of Christ and open up the church and let them come and stay… Along with feeding them. And sharing the Gospel with them.”
Pastor Wolfe explained that this mission is near and dear to the hearts of his church.
Lee Station Baptist Church in Bledsoe County will be opening their doors to those who need a warm meal and a place to stay Jan. 15-16.
Lee Station Baptist Chuch, also called the House of Hope, has been serving the community for years.
They decided to step up this winter as temperatures start to drop due to an upcoming arctic blast.
“We just want to show the love of Christ and let them know that they’re not alone in this world. That they do have people that care about them. Whatever their circumstances is, we want to let them know that we’re here to love them,” Wolfe said.
The pastor explained the church had served in this ministry three or four years ago, but stopped due to the pandemic.
Since they issued this mission last week, they have seen a huge response from the people in the valley.
“We we put the word out about Thursday, it has been phenomenal about the response that we have with people bringing — as you can tell they’ve brought food,drinks, people are bringing soups– I’ve got a call from a guy in Whitwell this morning, he’s bringing pizza tomorrow afternoon. So it’s been great. We’ve also gotten monetary donations to go out and buy what we need,” Wolfe said.
If you would like to help in their ministries or donate, Pastor Wolfe said the church gives out food 365 days of the year and also helps pay electric bills for those who need it.
They are offering a warm solution to an otherwise cold situation.
“If they have a need, we’re here to help with it. So if people would like to donate, just – they can find me. I’m not hard to find. So just reach out and love people,” Wolfe added.
