Pikesville Members Take ‘Church’ Beyond the Pews

Members of the Pikesville (Md.) church spent a recent Sabbath doing “church” a bit differently, forgoing a traditional worship service for community outreach.

On Aug. 12, the church held “Love Your Neighborhood Sabbath,” where Pikesville members spent the day doing outreach activities such as passing out care packages to individuals experiencing homelessness in downtown Baltimore. Members also visited and prayed with day laborers, apartment residents, and shut-in members.

The day was part of a new church initiative to set aside every seventh Sabbath for outreach. 

Activities began in the morning with a devotional at the church, where members prayed that the Holy Spirit would direct their interactions. Members then broke into groups to head to the various service locations. A small contingent remained behind at the church to meet and engage with visitors, including some guests who decided to participate in the outreach activities. 

In the afternoon, members returned to the church for a fellowship luncheon, where they reflected and shared testimonies. Following the meal, members attended break-out seminars on topics to help equip them for further outreach, including personal evangelism, cultural competency, trauma-informed care, and media production.

“We want to make service an integral part of the DNA of this church,” said Babawale Adepoju, senior pastor. He added that he believes the new outreach initiative is vital because service is an essential part of the Christian experience: “You can’t feel the power [of the gospel] by just knowing it in your head; you have to feel it in your heart, and service is what brings it out in the hearts of the believers.”