Appalachia Reach Out (ARO) is a compassionate ministry center with a mission to show the radical love of Christ by caring for their neighbors. Located in Martin County, Kentucky, and directed by Dwayne Mills, this compassionate ministry center has been serving people since 1972. Poverty is a common reality for the residents of Martin County, which has a poverty rate of almost 40 percent. At ARO, people in need can find help through addiction recovery, a thrift store, home repair assistance, school support, and more. 

ARO has become a place where Work & Witness teams from around the country come to find ministry opportunities. In 2019, nearly 20 teams visited to serve in the community. Some of those groups go into local schools, where they tutor, set up classrooms, and provide labor, among other things. Others work on homes in need of repairs or renovation.

Susan Cox has lived in Inez, the largest town in Martin County, for nearly her entire life. Cox met Director Mills when he came to the community center where she works. Although she knew about the ARO thrift store, she had no idea the center helped folks with their homes, too. A Work & Witness team came to help with repairs and construction on her son’s house, which had sat empty for several months due to lack of time or resources to make it livable.

 “When you do without and you need help, it’s not always easy to ask, and the last thing you want to do is ask,” Cox says. “Sometimes the smallest little thing can have the biggest impact.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ARO has committed to continue serving their community, even as some services are paused for a season. To date, 13 scheduled Work & Witness trips had to be cancelled, and their thrift store is currently closed. Despite these challenges, ministry continues in new ways. This summer, volunteers and interns have supported the local school district to care for children through an online summer camp, provided several iPads to students to help them with distance learning, and partnered with the Martin County summer feeding program where they’ve delivered just under 7,000 meals through home delivery to children and families.  

“We’ve been reminded of the passage of scripture where it says that Christ came to serve, and not to be served” Director Mills says. “And that’s really the hope that we have as we are being the hands, the feet, the heart and the mission of Christ, that we are Christ’s love in action.”

 As the summer progresses, ARO is working to gather food and supplies for upcoming distributions through their addiction recovery center and the local schools. 

Read more about the ministry of ARO in the latest issue of NCM Magazine.

You can also learn more about ARO at their website.