By Cara Beth Lewis
For the fourth time, Bladen Baptist Association and 25 mission workers visited Mallory, West Virginia, to distribute backpacks with a purpose to a poverty-stricken area. Seven different BBA-affiliated churches were involved in this ministry, and they worked together to collect, pack, and distribute 256 backpacks, exceeding their goal of 250.
David Foster with Bladen Baptist Association told BladenOnline that it’s not just about the backpacks – there is a greater purpose. He said, “The backpacks are a door. Our goal is to share the Gospel through the backpack ministry.” He shared, “One ten-year-old girl accepted Christ… that’s our reason.”
On December 3rd through 6th, the mission workers stayed in Mallory. Over the span of two days, the group personally distributed 246 backpacks to those in need. The remaining ten were left at the hosting church, Big Spring Baptist Church, to give to any who may need them later. 
The backpacks do not just contain school supplies – they contain pop-top canned food, hygiene products,
hats, gloves, scarves, age-specific toys, a bible, and a pamphlet that shares the story of Christmas.
This ministry takes place through the Appalachian Christmas Outreach Ministry. Across the state of North Carolina, over 18,000 backpacks were collected through ACOM.
If you would like to be a part of this, you can visit Bladen Baptist Association’s office and pay $10 to receive a backpack and a bible, then fill the backpack and return it to BBA for next year’s mission trip. This is a simple and wonderful way to help a child in need and share the story of Christmas.
Call Bladen Baptist Association at (919) 862-3496, or visit the office at 137 Mercer Road in Elizabethtown.
Lastly, Foster stated, “We blessed others, and we received blessings too.”
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