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Operation Impact community ministry gives free fuel
By LINDA M. LINONIS
liberty
Motorists who stopped for gas between 11 a.m. and noon Saturday at the BP station, 2703 Belmont Ave., got a surprise with 7 gallons of free fuel.
The gas giveaway was courtesy of Pastors Lock P. Jr. and Gloria Beachum through the Operation Impact community ministry at Victory Christian Center at Liberty, 114 E. Liberty St. They bought 700 gallons of gas.
The gas giveaway was in celebration of the Beachums’ seventh anniversary as pastors of the congregation.
Pastor Beachum said he and his wife “wanted to do something innovative for the community that would be a blessing.”
He said the church is “very community-minded” in its projects. Operation Impact organizes “intentional acts of kindness” through a range of community-service activities. These include community block parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas drives, community cleanups and activities at North Side Pool. It has partnered with Youngstown schools in education and athletic programs.
VCC at Liberty will sponsor a backpack giveaway Aug. 15. The church also sponsors LEAP, Liberty-Enhancing & Encouraging Academic Progress, a tutoring ministry for kindergarten through 12th grades.
In 2012, the Liberty congregation, with assistance from VCC in Coitsville, surprised a single mother of four children with a home bought by an anonymous donor. Church members prepared the home and painted and furnished it.
Mr. Beachum explained the number seven is significant in the Bible. The first use relates to the creation of the heavens and earth during six days, then rest on the seventh. The Bible contains hundreds of references to the number seven. Jesus is the sevenfold “I Am” in the Gospel of John.
The number is associated with completeness, or perfection, the pastor said. “We believe God has led us to do what He wanted us to accomplish,” he said.
About 20 members of the VCC Liberty campus pumped gas for customers. “That should bring back some memories of how gas stations served customers years ago,” said Mr. Beachum. He and his wife were on hand to talk with customers.
“It was a phenomenal morning,” he said. “The word got out pretty fast.”
The group finished pumping gas for 100 vehicles at 11:57 a.m.
“We wanted to give a big thank-you to the community,” he said.
Contributor: Brandon Klein, staff writer.