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Turner Ridge Award
By Nila Harris
Turner Ridge Baptist Church, on Highway 22 West, was recently awarded the SEND Award by the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This award is given annually to the top 10 churches in the state. It is based on mission participation and includes things like local mission projects, mission trips, partnerships and church planting efforts, community ministry efforts, disaster relief responses, etc. The award is based on an increased mission emphasis for a two-year period. Turner Ridge has always had a heightened interest in missions. The current pastor, Dr. Dale Beighle and his wife Ann, were missionaries in Africa for 33 years. A current local mission project that played a big part in the earning of the award is Open Hands.
Open Hands was started by Robin Koettel and Angie Gibson and has been providing meals to local families on Tuesday nights since June 2018. What began as a food pantry in December 2017, ballooned into serving up to 520 meals to local families. Several church members at Turner Ridge as well as from other churches in the community, have been involved in praying, supply pick-up, donating, meal organization, preparation, delivery, and clean up. Koettel says that many people are involved in this, and she is very appreciative of the donations given to help provide support; some coming from as far as West Virginia and Florida! She is grateful for the prayers and helping hands. She gives all credit to The Lord, who always comes through when there is a need, through the kindness of others.
To keep everyone safe, all workers wear masks, and few people are actual involved in the actual preparation of the food.
If you would like to know more about Turner Ridge Baptist Church, are interested in helping with Open Hands in some way or would like to receive a meal from Open Hands, visit us at 60 McGraw Road, or on Facebook at Turner Ridge Baptist Church, or call us at (859)910-9707. In-person worship services are at 11:00am Sundays and are on Facebook Live at the same time.