As pastor Daryl Densford was doing some work at Logan Church of the Nazarene in West Virginia, a man named Andrew, whose face Densford had come to recognize, asked if he could help out.

Although homeless, Andrew has been regularly coming to the church for a meal on Saturday; he has even attended a few Sunday services. While Andrew wanted nothing in return for his work, he worked alongside Densford, asking him questions about God whenever they were together.

It’s people like Andrew who are at the heart of Logan Church of the Nazarene’s renewed mission to serve its community.

“I know it’s having an impact,” Densford said. “It’s increasing our approachability, and I think we’re building trust among people who don’t know whom to trust.”

Logan is a town of roughly 1,500 people, where the city’s influence reached its height during the coal mining industry’s heyday. The Church of the Nazarene has been there for 90 years and has a location right in the heart of downtown.

In more recent years, people struggling with drug addictions and homelessness have frequented the church vicinity. The church had a pre-existing partnership with another agency that wasn’t present in Logan anymore but wanted to find a way to help provide social services. Along the way, Densford and Logan Church of the Nazarene have created more partnerships, including one with the Logan County Prevention Coalitions, which works with drug rehabilitation.

In addition to building hygiene bags and snack bags for the local Quick Response Team, which aids in the event of drug overdoses, the church made a connection with the local hospital’s infusion center, bringing a snack basket every month along with cards.

Intending to respond in broader ways, Logan Church of the Nazarene decided to increase its benevolence fund with the goal of helping people from outside the congregation, too.

During the USA/Canada Region’s Blessing Our Community initiative last year, Logan Church of the Nazarene participated in the “Big Serve” day alongside the rest of the Mount Vernon (East Central USA) Field. After learning about the need for free community meals, the church began a weekly meal on Saturdays.

That’s where people like Andrew have begun to feel connected and safe within the church. Densford said he has seen the impact of the outreach through the number of interactions he has had with people outside the church, as well as people’s receptiveness to the gospel message.

“These conversations are growing because they know us,” Densford said. “They recognize the faces and they know that we’re there to help, and I think it’s changing things in Logan.”

These community-driven initiatives are also changing the hearts of those who volunteer to help with the services the church is offering. Densford said he felt that the church “needed more than just taking care of themselves.”

“Being able to have something — a new purpose or a fresh purpose — has brought new life to the church.”