Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky, recently launched the start of the church’s 20th annual “Reach Week,” kicking off with free oil changes for single mothers. Dozens of volunteers handled everything from oil changes and fluid top-offs to safety inspections, tire checks and car washes.
The gesture made a clear impact.
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As single mothers arrived on campus, they handed their keys to a Hillvue volunteer who guided the vehicle through each service station. Meanwhile, the mothers and their children headed inside the church for a free meal, fellowship, children and youth activities, counseling services and a Bible study. Most importantly, every guest heard a presentation of the gospel.
More than 300 cars drove through the church parking lot for the free service. Among the families represented, 15 people professed faith in Christ, and nine were baptized during an emotional moment marked by both cheers and tears.
‘We serve because we are servants’
More than 250 church members volunteered for the outreach, which serves as the opening effort of “Reach Week,” a focused time when Hillvue dedicates itself to serving Bowling Green while sharing the gospel.
“We have been doing this for over 20 years,” said Co-Lead Pastor Jamie Ward. “We are not servants because we serve. We serve because we are servants.”
While the oil change met a practical need, the church’s deeper hope is for transformation that goes beyond the physical.
“We offer people what they think they need so that we can give them what we know they need,” Ward said.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mark Maynard and originally published by Kentucky Today.
