Members of Carbon Hill’s First Baptist Church are spending part of their summer vacation conducting local mission projects.

The congregation kicked off their mission week on Monday by passing out donuts at every business in Carbon Hill.

“I loved the looks we got when we came in the door and they thought we were just another group trying to sell them donuts,” Pastor Scott McCullar said. “Then we handed them the boxes and told them what we were doing. In this tough economy, it was encouraging to see so many business people smile.”

On Tuesday, the church volunteered at the local homeless shelter Haven of Hope.

Church members did yard work, led children’s activities, cooked supper for residents and hosted a Bible study.

“It’s another example of how the community has come together to not only make a difference in our ministry but to directly impact the lives of the people we serve,” said Haven of Hope’s executive director Caroline Ivey.

Today the congregation is scheduled to be at the Mission of Hope in Dora.

They will be at the Pregnancy Test and Resource Center in Jasper on Thursday and will end the week at Walker Rehabilitation Center in Carbon Hill.

McCullar said between 10 and 20 church members will be participating in each of the local missions.

“We got a great response. Our people love missions,” McCullar said.

Last summer, Carbon Hill First Baptist Church was one of the groups that helped rebuild Antioch Missionary Baptist Church near the Bug Tussle community in Carbon Hill. The church was damaged in the April 27, 2011 tornadoes.