December 9, 2007 a gunman entered New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, and killed two people in a shooting spree.Five months prior pastor Brady Boyd says he was enjoying a simple life in Dallas, TX where he was on staff at Gateway Church, “relishing the warmth of summertime,” he says in his new book, Fear No Evil: A Test of Faith, A Courageous Church, and an Unfailing God (Zondervan, 2011). He was the new senior pastor, taking over in the pastorate of Ted Haggard. He speaks unguardedly about the tragedy of that Sunday, but also of the following Wednesday when the congregation would grieve and try to find meaning in the senseless act. Calling it “Bloody Sunday,” Boyd also writes in his book: “Sunday wouldn’t define us, though, because three days later Wednesday arrived. And although I didn’t know it at the time, Wednesday would be our church’s opportunity to say to ourselves, our God, and anyone else who happened to be listening that we refused to be defined by tragedy and that hope was still ours to claim.”

Church and food have a way of going together that hasn’t diminished in more than 2,000 years. Most larger and megachurches have food services that are seen as a part of ministry and outreach, staff have been hired to give professional supervision to food preparation and events in the life of the congregation where food is an indispensable part of fellowship, and for many churches the function breaks even or it might even be a small profit center. “Jesus himself ministered at the wedding celebration, on the shores of Galilee where he and 12 volunteers and one boy fed several thousand on at least a couple of occasions,” says Marcus White, director of food service ministry at First Baptist Orlando. “He witnessed around a table with sinners and with friends and family. Not the least of which was in the upper room for the Lord’s final supper.”

Sherwood Baptist Church is located in the Southwest Georgia town of Albany, three hours south of Atlanta and one hour north of the Florida state line. One might recognize this church as the home of Sherwood Pictures, which has released the films Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous, which will be released this fall. But the ministries of Sherwood stretch further than just the movies. One of the ways it reaches its community is through the ministry of Legacy Park. Legacy Park was purchased in 2003 to be developed as an 82-acre sport park complex dedicated to reaching out to the people of Albany and surrounding areas.