BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Chris Johnson at Lifeline Children’s Services said in the list of needs he gets from vulnerable families, beds are the No. 1 ask.
So it made a big difference when a group of more than 50 people built 25 bed kits as part of Send Relief’s Serve Tour stop in Birmingham March 20-21.
During the weekend, more than 1,300 volunteers from 105 churches throughout 15 states partnered with churches in the Birmingham metro area to work on more than 50 projects ranging from giving haircuts at shelters to building the bed kits.
“The Serve Tour stop in Birmingham was the largest Serve Tour event we’ve seen so far in terms of the number of churches who engaged,” said Josh Benton, Send Relief’s vice president for North American ministry. “At every event, I’ve been honored to see the ways Southern Baptists from local churches, associations, and state conventions work together to reach the community. That same cooperative spirit was evident in Birmingham last month.”
Johnson, senior director of church partnerships and external advocacy for Lifeline, said having the bed kits ready to go is a huge help – it allows their church partners to respond quickly to new foster families or other families facing crises.
Two beds were requested March 23, just two days after the project, and because they were ready, they were delivered immediately.
“It’s a great opportunity for church partners to have quick connections and share the hope of the Gospel and point to the love of Christ,” Johnson said.
Working together
Marisa Taylor, church resource specialist for Birmingham Metro Baptist Association (BMBA), said she loved seeing the cooperative effort of the Send Relief Serve Tour coming together with BMBA, Shelby Baptist Association and local churches to “work together for a common goal and purpose.”
The vision for Birmingham Serve Tour came after Ric Camp, lead mission strategist for Shelby Association, participated in the 2023 Serve Tour in Chicago and knew he wanted to see it happen in his area.
Then in 2025, he, Taylor and others went to Virginia Beach to tour Serve Tour projects there.
Taylor said that was the first time she had “seen it firsthand and realized just how many moving parts are going on at the same time.”
She loved it and was ready to bring it back to Birmingham too.
“It has been very rewarding to be able to have conversations with local churches and faith-based nonprofits and help them dream about what it could be for them to host a project that they couldn’t do on their own but that could make an impact in their community,” Taylor said.
Volunteers brought ‘sweet attitudes’
Allana Russell, a member of Fultondale First Baptist Church, said the more than 20 volunteers from South Carolina, Mississippi and the local area helped them pull off something they couldn’t have done on their own — a larger-than-normal food bank distribution along with a free yard sale for the community and a hot dog lunch.
“Having the extra volunteers absolutely helps so much — we could not do it without the extra volunteers,” she said. “And just the sweet attitudes and the giving spirit that they brought with them — they were just so happy to do it. It’s a great way to spread love and serve needs.”
Camp said as he and his staff at Shelby Association debriefed the weekend, they kept sharing stories “that we saw and heard from different people and the needs and hurt and pain they were going through, that we were able to offer them some hope.”
Dozens of professions of faith
During the weekend, 62 people made professions of new faith in Christ.
Katherine Woods, executive director of Birmingham Cross Cultural Connections, said the crew who laid new carpet in their facilities also helped them meet needs and spread the love of Christ.
BCCC’s goal is to equip immigrant and refugee families to become self-sufficient and thrive, and those families spend a lot of time in the organization’s building during that process.
“Replacing 30-year-old carpet isn’t just an aesthetic thing,” she said. “These volunteers made an eternal impact this weekend. They are helping the Gospel go forth among least reached people groups in Alabama by making our international resource hub welcoming and safe.”
Taylor said she hopes Birmingham Serve Tour will be a “starting line, not a finish line.”
“It is hopefully going to be a catalyst, whether it’s continued relationships, continued connection or continued missions,” she said.
Send Relief’s Serve Tour features multiple stops in North America each year as well as several international mission trips as well. The next stop will be in Salt Lake City, from April 17-18. Learn more at servetour.org.
This article originally appeared in The Alabama Baptist.
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