You reap what you SOW: Cross Connections ends 2023 with massive giveaway

Keegan Harris, Commonwealth Journal, Somerset, Ky.
·2 min read

Jan. 2—A Happy New Year indeed. Those who resolved to be more charitable in the new year could look to Cross Connections Church as a helpful inspiration.

Cross Connections Church, located at 1386 S. Highway 27, spent the last Saturday of the year giving clothes, food, and other helpful items to their Pulaski county neighbors.

Brian Sawyers, Pastor of Cross Connections, said their weekly giveaways began as a food ministry in 2015, around the same time the church was founded. A member of the budding church offered to donate food out of the blue, and from there the local church's giving became a tradition.

"(We'd) take the food out. (We) had people all over Pulaski County take stuff out of the truck that they needed out of it," he said.

They named their giveaways Project: SOW. The acronym stands for "Strangers, Orphans, and Widows," a reference to a Bible verse which charges readers to be charitable to those in need.

Sawyers said SOW come from weekly donations which "basically fill the church."

"As soon as we get it in, we give it out," said Sawyers.

Sawyers said that last week's giveaway was close to their toy drive.

"I think it helped a lot of families... when you're having trouble making ends meet (the toy drive) helps you get through the holidays," said Sawyers. "Everybody's thinking about the time of giving... I think that's what helped make (this week's giveaway) special."

The food ministry part of SOW is an important aspect of it. It's a lot of work, said Sawyers, but it's well worth it to help aid the county's unhoused.

"There's a lot of homeless folks that come to our church," said Sawyers. "We're located right on Highway 27... There's a lot of people walking through that area, and they'll come in and say 'something told me to come into this church.' They won't even know about the food giveaway."

The end-of-the-year giveaway saw a significant increase in volume of donations, but Sawyers said that the last two years, in general, have been an excellent time to receive donations.

"We, at the moment right now, are trying to figure out how to house it all," said Sawyers. "It's no joke... It's in every room. The whole basement is full of clothes, furniture, food. All of our Sunday school rooms have been packed full of stuff."

Sawyers continued by referencing the Bible and felt that donations like Project SOW are an imperative for churches.

"We want to be the hands and feet of Christ," Sawyers said. "We want to be the salt and light in the world. We want to be the extension of Jesus' love and kindness."

Sawyers said they are always taking donations and encourages local folk to donate if they're able.