It is understandable that when a church has a visible presence in the community and region there will be a variety of opinions regarding her ministry and mission endeavors. In a recent online comment subsequently published in The Augusta Chronicle, the First Baptist Church of Augusta was criticized for the proposed construction project in light of the needs of the Golden Harvest Food Bank.

As the pastor of this church I share with the congregation that our primary mission is related to our neighbors,

including the work of the Golden Harvest Food Bank, which is included each year in our church’s budget. In fact 13 times a year we send church members to help serve at their “Masters Table,” including this past Mother’s Day weekend.

Last year alone we gave more than a half-million dollars of our tithes and offerings towards missions. We believe our responsibility to our neighbors is a global one which means our work may take us to Ecuador to provide medical care for the Quicha minorities or to Hungary to bring support for the Roma, Gypsies, one of the most oppressed people in Europe today.

Of course our mission also has a local responsibility. Each week, for example, dozens of our members volunteer hours at our Benevolence ministry. We provide assistance to individuals and families in need. Last year we provided assistance such as food, housing, utility assistance, legal counsel and spiritual care to 5351 individuals that represented 1816 families which included 2726 children. In this endeavor we joyfully and thankfully partner with the good folks at Golden Harvest Food Bank as one of the leading food pantries in the CSRA.

While we are planning to build a chapel and fellowship hall we are also working alongside the Family Y in providing some of our land for the construction of a “Miracle League” ball field that will provide recreation for disabled children in our region. Each week we send students and adults to work in our downtown community who volunteer their time and give of their hearts as they serve in the many areas of need. We are currently in conversation with city leaders about identifying projects to help improve the houses of the elderly and economically disadvantaged in Augusta.

Out of our church’s budget, hundreds of thousands of dollars more go into a variety of other ministry and mission endeavors in addition to what I have just listed. We do not give of our time, money or resources because we believe it will add members to our church or increase contributions to our ministries. We give because Jesus said that when we serve the least of these we serve Him (Matthew 25).

Is this enough? To be candid, there are still poor among us; people are still losing their jobs and each week we see more and more who come to us needing help and assistance. I am grateful for the many other communities of faith and other organizations that are committed to helping our neighbors in need, but there is much more work to be done.

We are choosing to build now because we believe that these additional facilities will help us better resource other ministries that are important to our mission. Like all of our facilities they are not merely for our own use but for the benefit and use to this region. We intentionally selected a local architectural firm for the design; a local construction company to build the facilities; and a local bank to provide appropriate financing. This will provide a number of local jobs that will benefit our local economy.

I pray that history will find us good stewards of the hope that was entrusted to us: that our buildings will be dedicated and used for the glory of God and that every ministry and mission project will be committed to loving God and loving our neighbor.

(The writer is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Augusta.)