BY BRANDON A. PERRY
It’s time to get ready for plenty of free food, fun and multicultural fellowship.
Convoy of Hope, one of the largest outreach organizations in the country, will be making a stop in Indianapolis on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lafayette Square Mall, 3919 Lafayette Road.
Working under the umbrella of Convoy of Hope, nearly 1,000 volunteers from several area churches and community organizations will join forces to present a large outreach event designed to share the love of Christ with families.
“Our goal is to let the community know that the faith-based community is aware of their needs and we are working together to strive to meet those needs,” said Keith Robinson, Indianapolis coordinator of Convoy of Hope.
Participants who come to the outreach, Convoy of Hope’s fourth in Indianapolis, can expect to pick up free household groceries if they need them and benefit from free health screenings, as well as information from various public and faith-based organizations that offer important services.
If they are blessed to not be in need, families can simply come out to enjoy over 10,000 different food items, a large kids carnival and positive entertainment from gospel hip-hop artists, musicians and dancers.
Most activities will be housed in tents to protect participants from the heat, and a special tent will be set aside for those in need of prayer support.
Robinson noted that the goal of Convoy of Hope’s outreach is to address the spiritual and social/humanitarian needs of families and individuals at the same time.
“This is a great opportunity for people to just come out for friendly assistance or if they simply just want to relax and have fun,” he said.
Convoy of Hope, which is based in Springfield, Mo., is an organization that has offered over 40 community outreach events in cities across the country each year since 1994, as well as resources during disasters such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
Convoy of Hope assisted nearly 4 million people in the U.S. and 26 other countries last year.
For its outreach events, Convoy of Hope coordinators team up with local ministries in various cities to serve an average of 3,000 to 7,000 guests.
The organization is also known for its signature “Guest of Honor” principle, which emphasizes that people who come out for assistance should be treated like royalty and not condescended to just because they are in need.
Convoy of Hope has received plenty of praise from officials who have noticed the impact it has made on families in their states and cities.
“Many area corporations, businesses, governmental agencies and charitable organizations have joined hands with churches and Convoy of Hope to reinvest in and serve their community,” Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee recently stated.
Convoy of Hope is loosely affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination, and next week’s outreach will coincide with the the 52nd General Council of Assemblies of God, which will hold activities for members at the Indiana Convention Center and Conseco Fieldhouse.
For more information about Convoy of Hope call (317) 872-9812. For more news from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
