Imagine suddenly becoming a single mom, unexpectedly on your own, maybe in hiding or putting your life back together after drugs. Imagine having no clothes for your baby, no bed for your other children, no dishes in the kitchen and no table for mealtime. If you live in the Fresno Westside church’s community, you are not alone. There is hope!

On Sunday, June 25, almost 300 women and their young children filled the church’s fellowship hall for the Community Baby Shower. For moms with children five-years-old and younger, the party culminated six months of outreach activities, including weekly parenting classes.

Games, food, and gifts piled waist-high lined the wall. There was enough for everyone to get at least one, creating the atmosphere of welcome and love. “This is really neat, really neat!” said one guest from West Care, a residential drug rehabilitation program for women and their children near the church.

Nearly one-half of the guests were from two area rehab facilities. Moms and their children from the Marjorie Mason Center, a refuge for victims of domestic violence, and a local emergency housing agency completed the guest list.

Seeking God’s Will

“Jesus loves me, and I can’t do enough for Him,” explains Catherine Ruff, the ministry’s coordinator. The outreach began when a church elder approached her and asked if she would start a Bible study class.

She began to seek God’s will. “I prayed and asked Jesus, what do you want me to do?” she says. “We’d been Bible studied to death. We changed it to a witnessing class and people started to come.” That was April 2005.

Ruff and her class began going door-to-door on Sabbath afternoons, meeting and praying with the neighbors. They wrote down names and prayer requests. If no one was home, a card was left telling the resident that they’d been prayed for and to call if they wanted a visit.

Most neighbors definitely wanted prayer for themselves and their families. And they followed-up with phone calls and visits. Getting involved meant hospital visits, too. When a neighbor’s four-year-old died, it was Fresno Westside’s pastor and members who visited and prayed. Later, the child’s family was baptized.

Meeting the Needs

Ruff discovered mothers with children living with almost nothing. Shocked, Ruff was moved into action. Church members rallied, and soon truckloads of new and used furniture and household items began to surprise and overwhelm neighbors.

“When a four-year-old got his first bed, he was so excited he refused to go to a friend’s birthday party,” says Ruff. “He just stayed in his new bed all day.”

Neighbors began to call for prayer for specific challenges. Some began to come to church on Sabbaths. Others started Bible studies.

Next door to the church was West Care, a long-term residential drug rehab center with women and children. Nearby was another live-in program. These women needed hope, too. Soon, the ministry expanded to include these neighbors.

Six women were baptized in May, and at the baby shower, at least 25 ladies said they would come to church on Sabbath. “The ladies told me this was the kind of church they wanted to be part of,” says Ruff. She is especially grateful for the camp meeting evangelism offering that helped support this outreach.

Now, a new six-month parenting class series will begin as follow-up for the baby shower. “Our job is cut out for us. Keep us in your prayers,” says Ruff. “God’s gift is His love to us. What better way to draw people than to share it!”