AUXVASSE – When the North Callaway School District started gearing up for its second year of the four-day week format, Pastor Wil Hoffmann sensed God calling Rising Sun Baptist Church (RSBC) to take action.
“We have a lot of blue collar working families in our area and we knew there was a need for Monday childcare,” Hoffmann said.
Lovingly referred to as “Fun Day,” RSBC’s Monday childcare ministry is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for elementary-age children in the community.
Structured much like a day of Vacation Bible School, they have opening pledges, Bible devotion time, and craft time.
“These are kids and families we are trying to actively reach and it’s beneficial for our people to get involved in something that really helps,” Hoffmann said.
The school district has also been in full support. They send families new to the district and/or those concerned about what to do with their young children on Mondays to the church.
“We are only about a mile and a half from the school as the crow flies and this has allowed us the opportunity to build an even better relationship with them,” Hoffmann said.
While “Fun Day” Monday is a new ministry in the Auxvasse area, Rising Sun Baptist Church and the love and service it provides is not. The church celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2017 and Hoffmann, who is part of the church revitalization efforts here, said it’s their desire to keep doing what the church was originally established to do: reach the communities around them.
“This is a rural area and we are going to do our best to try to serve them, love them and show them the love of Christ,” he said. “We want to try to be that lighthouse, that safe haven where they can come and find truth and love.”
Hoffmann wants others to know what he already knows personally. Rising Sun Baptist Church isn’t just a church; it’s a family.
“I’ve kind of jumped around throughout my time in the ministry: I was a youth pastor in St. Louis, a senior pastor in Utah, and an associate pastor in the Kansas City area. We’ve always sought a church that feels like family, not just the place I’m working as pastor. This is it.”
For Hoffmann, one of the most exciting things has been to see his own two daughters both surrender their lives to God here. It’s been a sweet testimony to the love they’ve found and Hoffmann was thrilled to baptize both of them surrounded by the church family who loves them.
“Every Sunday I tell the church I love them,” he said. “Not because I have to say that, but because I do love my church family. We are going to grow together in fulfilling the Great Commission, be a church of the community that serves and loves them, and stay true to our Lord and Savior.