Community comes together for local leader

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -The Bay County community came together to help a local leader on Saturday.

Dr. Rufus Wood is the President of the Bay County NAACP but also serves as a pastor of a local church.

On Saturday, Wood’s church put together a fish fry and all proceeds were given to him and his family.

Dr. Wood tells NewsChannel 7 that the church used to hold a pastor appreciation day every year, but in the last 5 years that hasn’t happened until this weekend.

Wood said that the money will help him pay his back taxes and help him with getting some home improvements done.

“In the last five years, you have not had an appreciation day. The community has not been able to come together. My family, friends, and church members have not been able to come together to show love and appreciation and they are saying they want to do that and so for that, I am profoundly grateful,” Dr. Wood said.

Dr. Wood also tells us that their attendance numbers have been down ever since Hurricane Michael and COVID.

”As a result of that our numbers are down so our finances are not where they have been in the past. But by the grace of God, we have people of faith and we will believe things will get better. So again we are appreciative of what people are doing. The church will actually be having some activities, matter of fact next week they are going to be doing a yard sale. That will be for the church because again we have a small congregation our numbers are down so we are going to be doing some things because there are some things here at the church that still need to be done,” Dr. Wood said.

If you would like to attend services at the Love Center Missionary Baptist Church, they are held on Sundays at 10 a.m.

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