The following article appeared in the Saturday Edition of the Calhoun Times 
on August 16th, 2014

Written by:  Karli Land, Religion Correspondent 

You may have seen some very brightly colored orange shirts working around the community lately or maybe you have seen church vans from all over the county busing volunteers around town. They were all part of an annual outreach missions project that is put together by the Gordon County Baptist Association. The project is called SPLASH which is an acronym for Show People Love And Share Him.  It is a joint effort made by several churches within the association who do ministry within the community over a three day period. The purpose of the project is to serve the community and prepare the teams participating for other mission work. All work is done on a local level and participants serve on project teams, all of which fall into one of two categories, construction ministry or creative ministry. The construction crews work on project of all skill levels including painting, roofing, putting in handicap ramps, building decks, yard work, and other repair necessities. The creative ministry crews put together backyard Bible clubs, visit nursing homes, visit and pray for our schools and sports teams, share the gospel door-to-door, and work on housing authority projects. All of the projects done are to benefit community members who are in need of help. "It feels good to help other people and also makes you appreciate your health when you see those who want to take care of their needs but are kept from it because of health issues," said one SPLASH participant. "You are not just helping someone who needs your help, you are able to share the Bible and are showing the love that God has for them." There was plenty of activity behind the scenes as well. The members from local churches donated food and their time to prepare meals for the participants, musical talent was displayed each night as groups came to lead worship, drivers of the church vans gave of their time, and pastors volunteer to bring a message each night. This is in addition to all of the preparation that was put in by associational volunteers who took care of registration, planning, and set-up. Many local businesses donated their time, money or supplies, and even allowed their employees the opportunity to be there during normal work hours.  

There were an estimated 180 individuals, families, and groups from 18 different churches that participated in SPLASH.  It is the desire of the association and all that were involved that this not be a three day event but rather a lifestyle among the residents of our community. The SPLASH website says the following about showing God's love throughout the year, "May the churches involved continue to go outside the walls of their churches to minister and share the Gospel.  Gordon County is a mission field that is open and receptive to the Gospel, but ‘How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’ Romans 10:14-15" You can be proud of the county that you live in and the members that are so willing to go out and share the gospel while helping those in need. 

You can learn more about SPLASH, find out how to get involved, and request help, as well as see pictures and videos at splashgordon.net.