Donyae Brown

The Grace Baptist Church Outreach Ministry partners with MedStar Union memorial Hospital and the Shepherd's Clinic each year to giveaway Christmas dinner baskets to those in the area who need it. This year, due to the pandemic, we gave each person/family a personal protective equipment kits or a hat and glove kit. As a member of the Outreach Ministry, I assisted in putting the kits together and distributing them to the families in need. This was a great opportunity to give back to those in need, despite the pandemic.

The Grace Baptist Church Outreach Ministry distributed Thanksgiving dinner baskets away to those in the area in need. This was a great opportunity to fellowship with some of my church family, while giving back to the community. This giveaway showed me that even during some of the toughest times, especially during the pandemic, we must continue to help one another in whatever ways we can.

During the beginning of the pandemic, the Grace Baptist Church Dance Ministry turned to Zoom to give younger children and teenagers in the East Baltimore area a way strengthen their relationships with God while dancing for the Lord. Over the course of the pandemic, myself and the other leaders of the dance ministry prepared lessons based on prayer, praise, worship, etiquette, and many other topics that are necessary to be true ministers of the gospel. We have also used this time to help mold the youth in confident solo liturgical dancers using scriptures, songs, and personal reflections. This virtual experience has and still is helping these children become better stewards of God's word.

I was able to donate a couple of items to the Hygiene Making Kits. This was a great opportunity to give back to the homeless, especially during this time of the year, when it is extremely cold.

This service learning opportunity allowed for me to package and distribute thanksgiving meal packages to the less fortunate families in Baltimore, Maryland. I was given the opportunity to walk around a less fortunate neighborhood, speak to families, and brighten their day with a free thanksgiving meal that they would just have to cook for their families. I was able to assist women of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. with whatever it was that they needed me to do on this day, whether it were lifting the bags, transporting the bags, distributing the bags, and helping clean up. This was a great opportunity to fellowship with some people that I knew and some people I had met for the first time.

I gave 8 hours of my time to my church, Grace Baptist Church’s Outreach Ministry on August 3rd, 2019. On this date, we had our annual community day. This is a day we give back to the community. We had backpacks full of school supplies for the children in a neighborhood of East Baltimore, Maryland. We also had activities such as face painting, moon bounces, ring tosses, music, arts and crafts, a table for evangelism, as well as a prayer tent for whomever was in need of prayer. This day gave me the opportunity to give back to some people I knew and some that I did not know. I was able to meet some people, guide them in the right way, and give them something they needed. A day of fun, free food, and back to school essentials.

On this day, my church, Grace Baptist Church, and our neighboring church, Faith United Baptist Church net at Faith United to prepare the back to school backpacks for our community day the following Saturday. We organized all of the school supplies that were donated to us and placed them into the book bags. We ensured that each grade level had the proper school supplies in order to be successful during this school year. I was able to meet people from another church and work with those I knew and did not know.