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‘Give what you’ve got’
Baptist Church in Geneva, where he serves as
associate pastor and minister of music.
As long as there are people who are homeless, hungry or in need, the Rev. Steve Skidmore plans to be in the thick of things helping those people.
An associate pastor and minister of music at First Baptist Church in Geneva, Skidmore was recently honored as one of the Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass for his efforts to help those in need.
After a tornado tore through downtown Geneva in late January, damaging the church’s clothing ministry and food pantry, First Baptist converted its bus garage to continue its community assistance efforts.
The damage didn’t stop Skidmore and a team of the church’s volunteers from responding quickly and helping in the storm’s aftermath, aiding elderly residents whose homes were damaged. Skidmore sees such actions and the church ministries as simply part of what a church and Christians should do — get out beyond the church walls to help and encourage others, especially those who are struggling.
“We have a lot of needy, sometimes homeless, people — folks that are just in a hard way, maybe a fire, something like that,” Skidmore says. “And this is stuff that we have on hand that we’re able to give away to people as they need it with no charge. Just what Jesus said, give what you’ve got. Give a drink full of water, and that’s what we try to do.”
Silent Heroes of the Wiregrass is a partnership between Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and WTVY to honor people and organizations helping others and working to make the community a better place. Each monthly winner receives a $1,000 award, funded through Operation Round Up.
“It’s wonderful to hear about the many great things that Steve and the ministry members at First Baptist Church are doing in our community and for the citizens of our community,” WEC Vice President of Member Services and Communication Stevie Sauls says. “We’re just so thankful and proud to have people like Steve and his team in the Wiregrass.”
The First Baptist Church clothing ministry opens weekly, normally on Tuesdays, for people to visit. The food pantry provides grocery staples as well as a brown bag program that delivers groceries to those who are homebound.
Skidmore says at some point in life, everyone is in need, whether they’re stranded on the side of a road due to a flat tire or an illness temporarily takes them out of commission.
“That’s what Jesus said, ‘Be his hands, be his feet,’” he says. “I’ve just always had a heart for the underdog and for somebody that just has a hard time. It just tugs on my heart, and so anything I can do to help them and be a friend to them, love on them, let them know that sometimes maybe society pushes them out of the way but to let them know they matter. You matter to us, and you matter to God.”