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Righteousness in Action

Cedar Park Assembly of God, Bothell, Washington

By Scott Harrup

It was an unlikely place for a salvation decision—the waiting area at a mechanic’s shop. But that was where a young woman in Bothell, Washington, recently committed her life to Christ. This was no ordinary mechanic’s shop, however. The woman made her decision when another waiting customer shared the gospel during the monthly free day offered by Cedar Park Assembly of God at its own fully equipped garage.

"There are a lot of single moms and others in need who can’t afford a mechanic," says Pastor Joe Fuiten. "And if you don’t have a car, you don’t have a job."

Cedar Park also accepts donated cars, which it refurbishes and sells interest free to people needing inexpensive transportation.

Few people probably connect a grease pit with the gospel, but auto repair is one of many practical avenues Fuiten and his staff have created to minister to hurting lives.

"When I was just discovering God’s call to ministry on my life," Fuiten says, "I began to study what righteousness really is. Righteousness is more than praising God. It’s a godly attitude and godly action toward the poor. In working out that call of God in my life, I’ve tried to create ministries that care for those in need."

Some of the avenues of assistance are more traditional. Cedar Park has a food bank, a clothing bank, and a furniture bank, and distributes needed items to a steady stream of individuals and families. A thrift store will open soon. But there is also a funeral home and cemetery, with reasonable rates to help bereaved families and free interment for babies. A counseling center with nine professional counselors on staff sees a growing clientele.

"We have a sliding scale," Fuiten says. "Our full rate is $120 per hour, but a family without insurance may pay as little as $5 an hour. In all of our ministries, we look for ways for people to participate in their own help.

Funding for benevolent ministry is a significant percentage of Cedar Park’s budget. Cash outlays to those in need totaled more than $100,000 in 2002 outside the cost of running these programs. Virtually all of the money comes through church contributions. No federal funds have been utilized. The only government assistance to date has been a county health department contribution to establish a Web site and literature to help people battle addictions.

Cedar Park is also active in other community outreaches, including Love Inc., an interdenominational effort to help homeless people get back on their feet. An alms box is positioned in the church foyer for free-will offerings. Proceeds are collected weekly and donated to a range of service providers in the city.

Fuiten is no stranger to poverty. He assisted missionaries Mark and Huldah Buntain in establishing Mission of Mercy in Calcutta, India. While the poverty level in Bothell is not as severe as in Southern Asia, the principle of living out the gospel through helping those in need is unchanging and Fuiten has applied it consistently since coming to Cedar Park in 1981.

"The righteous life is expressed by caring for the poor," he says, "and if you don’t, you’re not righteous no matter how loudly you say amen in church."

—Scott Harrup is associate editor of Today’s Pentecostal Evangel, Springfield, Missouri.