Sometimes we participate in projects to collect things for people in need but have little connection to the people who receive the items. This is one reason it is vital for churches to take items in person to ministry sites and spend time participating in the ministry. Items collected have greater meaning as we connect them to real people.

“Turning a Ministry Project Into a Missions Project” is a recent blog on the National WMU web site. The article includes the reminder that we move from ministry to missions when we share the gospel. This should always be an important part of every ministry.

Going in person, however, is not always possible for every project, but we should never lose sight of the real people who benefit from our effort. The Bucket Project, a ministry of Baptist Global Response (BGR) is such an effort. Fortunately here in Kentucky, there are enough people who have gone overseas and delivered buckets, that we can hear stories from Kentucky volunteers about the impact of every bucket. A new video, Buckets of Hope 2016, includes the story of Mavis who received a bucket from a Kentucky volunteer.

The  Buckets of Hope video tells about the Bucket Project from the perspective of the Cooperative Program (CP).  The video reminds us that the Cooperative Program makes it possible to do this type of project because CP has put the structure and missionaries on the field where the buckets will be delivered to people with AIDS.

Dr. Paul Chitwood has issued a video challenge to bring 2000 buckets to the 2016 Kentucky Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, November 15, at the Florence Baptist Church. Have you packed a bucket?

For information about the Bucket Project and links to a detailed shopping list and other information, go to: kywmu.org/bucketproject.