Anniston Star (local newspaper) article about Harvest Church of Gods’ drive-thru prayer and handmade wooden crosses that are given away in the thousands.

Anniston Star Article

When traveling on Golden Springs Road this summer one may have caught a glimpse of folks offering a drive-thru prayer service in the vast parking lot at the Harvest Church of God.

There motorists were able to pause, park, and pray with volunteers every afternoon. The service has ended for the year, although organizers Randall Wilkinson and his wife, Sharion, say they plan to have a few more prayer sessions this month. Typically the service runs from April through Labor Day.

The service began in 2015, modeled on something done elsewhere.

“We could do that here, especially right here on the bypass. So many cars, so many passing by,” Randall Wilkinson said. So from the hours of 4 to 6 p.m. volunteers man the drive-thru prayer service offering motorists a chance to escape the rush-hour traffic for a spiritual connection. “That’s when everybody’s getting off work, more people come through,” he said. The prayer service offers both the motorists and the volunteers to pray. “It’s been incredible, It’s been just an awesome ministry, people coming in for family, kids it’s just been wonderful,” Wilkinson said. Wilkinson said that people even come in and pray for the volunteers. “They just come in and say, ‘Well, thank you for what you do,’ They’ve brought us food, they’ve come in and asked can we pray for you. ‘You sure can,’” said Wilkinson. “We just want to bless people, we want to get the word out any way in any avenue we can do it,” he said. Veterans Memorial Parkway was open to traffic in late 2015 which funneled more vehicles along Golden Springs Road in front of the church. “That first year of the bypass we had over 200 cars come in,” he said. The pandemic slowed the volume of folks coming in but the determined volunteers kept offering the service. “We just keep doing it,” he said.

Sharion said the prayer service has been a blessing. “It has encouraged us, made us stronger. Anytime you’re out here praying for people, that makes you stronger and it’s a great ministry,” she said, “People, they’ll drive by, turn around and come back, we’ve had so many people tell us that they’re so glad that we do it.” Randall said that God has just given the ministry opportunity after opportunity to speak to all ages. He said the people get emotional at times during prayers and some people come back time after time to worship with the volunteers. Despite the swampy heat of the Alabama summer, volunteers have been out praying with the people unless there is inclement weather. “We try to do it Monday through Friday. Sometimes, some weeks two or three times a week,” he said.

Other ministries

In the corner of the parking lot adjacent to Golden Springs Road is a receptacle that offers Bibles along with prayer requests. Wilkinson said that while visiting his daughter in Dalton, Ga., he noticed that a church offered Bibles to motorists. “Why couldn’t we put that in our church and give away Bibles … it’s been awesome,” he said. Wilkinson said three cases of 40 Bibles have been given out so far and they are on their fourth case. Also distributed are small wooden crosses in plastic bags with the church’s information along with inspirational words, he said. Wilkinson said that this year over 30,000 crosses will have been given out. Some will be handed out at Oxfordfest next month. “The first year we gave out 2,500 , last year we gave 3,200. This year we’re trying to get 5,000 made,” he said.

The dark-stained crosses are small, just over three inches tall. Upon holding a cross one can’t not help but be moved by what it embodies. “There’s no power in the wood right there, but what it represents,” he said. Sharion said that people have been known to hold onto their cross during surgeries. The crosses have also been given out to race fans at the Talladega Superspeedway during race week by the Calhoun County Baptist Association and to graduating seniors in 12 local high schools.

“God opens the doors but we have to walk through those doors, he works through us, it’s been incredible,” he said.

Harvest Church of God Full Gospel Pentecostal Church: https://hcog.tv/

By Bill Wilson, Star Staff Writer, wwilson@annistonstar.com Sep 10, 2024