White Flag Ministry benefitting from more community partners

Each year, First Baptist Church of Corbin spearheads the efforts of the White Flag Ministry, which is dedicated to feeding the hungry and helping those in need find a warm place to go on frigid winter nights.

This winter, FBC Pastor Alex Lockridge says the ministry will be strengthened thanks to the efforts of some new community partnerships.

“Like last season, we will be serving meals at the barn at St. John’s Episcopal Church every Monday-through-Friday from 4-5 p.m.,” Lockridge said. “We will be doing that through about mid-March, and anytime that the temperature drops to 27 or below, we will offer shelter at the Corbin Inn. If you need that, just meet over at the barn. That does include Saturdays and Sundays as well.”

St. John’s is located at 701 Engineer Street in Corbin. The “barn” is a large utility building located next door to the church.

“One thing that is a lot better this year is that we put out a call to local organizations and churches to send in different leaders to serve on the leadership team,” Lockridge explained. “We now have a much better representation of our community on that team. RRJ Solutions is still on the team, but the Tri-County Elk’s Club are now on it as well, and they have become heavily involved, which is pretty cool.”

“There are a few other churches who have gotten really involved, like St. John’s,” Lockridge continued. “And this is the first time since I have been a part of this that it doesn’t feel like just a First Baptist leadership thing, but a community leadership thing. I think that will be beneficial moving forward.”

Lockridge said that this community effort has always been at the heart of the vision behind the White Flag Ministry, saying, “Community has always been a big part of it, but we have been trying to find ways to get more people involved. In my estimation, there is really no way to make a big difference in homelessness, food insecurity and heating needs without getting all of the tri-counties involved.”

“From last year to this year, we’ve seen major success in getting people out of their current situations and getting them into more sustainable living,” Lockridge added.

If you are a civic or church group that would like to learn more about how you can help with the ongoing efforts at the White Flag Ministry, go online to www.corbinfbc.org/whiteflag.