By Louisiana Baptist Women’s Missions and Ministry Team
PINEVILLE, La. (LBC) – On Aug. 29, the Louisiana Baptist women’s missions and ministry team led women from across the state to pack hygiene giftboxes for those at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. With representatives from 16 Louisiana Baptist associations, the day became a powerful demonstration of cooperation and compassion.
The effort, hosted on the campus of Louisiana Christian University, brought together not only women from every corner of Louisiana but also men – including three associational mission strategists – who joined in the packing. Among the churches who participated were First Baptist Church, Gonzales, which brought donated supplies from several churches in the Baton Rouge area, and Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans.
By the close of the packing day, 912 giftboxes had been completed – just shy of the 1,000-box goal.
Thankfully, the story does not end there.
In the two weeks following the packing day, churches from around the state continued to bring in additional hygiene kits to the WMM office, pushing the effort over the top.
The 1,000-box goal was the largest in the history of this ministry, doubling what was requested by LCIW last year.
“This prison ministry is a perfect example of how Louisiana Baptists can accomplish a seemingly impossible task when we cooperate,” said Christine Gill, Louisiana Baptist women’s missions and ministry strategist.
In total, Louisiana Baptist Women successfully packed and collected 1,004 hygiene giftboxes. The boxes will be distributed, Oct. 9, at the new LCIW prison facility in St. Gabriel, where incarcerated women will receive them as tangible reminders of God’s love and care.
“We reached this goal because of two things – our churches working together in cooperation and the generous support of the Georgia Barnette Louisiana Missions Offering,” Gill explained. “Both are essential, and together they make ministry like this possible.”
