Baden’s Alderwoman, Dionne Flowers, has asked for a writeup on the community outreach of Pastor Don. We thought we’d share what we sent her with you!
Carvin Donald Sharp was a Northsider through and through. In his younger days he was stronger and smarter than most and so he lived for himself. As a product of the hippie movement, Don’s concept of love was that if you didn’t cross him, he wouldn’t cross you. But all that changed one day in 1982.
Don Sharp met Jesus. The former atheist ran up and down his street crying out “It’s true! It’s TRUE!” He never looked back. God transformed this man and his perception of love.
He would spend the rest of his life at a small church in Baden called The Church of God at Baden. During those early years God began to give Don a heart that loved people, especially the poor and downtrodden. He took Jesus’ words to heart, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
He started feeding homeless people with his family at night. This only increased his hunger to help those in need. So Don began bringing these new ministries to The Church of God at Baden.
In 1994 the church elected Don as their Pastor. Pastor Don’s heart radically changed the mission and focus of that little church. The ministry began to focus far less within its walls and far more outside of them, into the community.
Under Pastor Don’s inspiration and leadership, the Church of God at Baden began an official Homeless ministry, a Food Bank, Telephone Ministry and a Clothing Ministry. The church began delivering Meals on Wheels during the holidays when the program was not available. Pastor Don also began providing transportation for elders to events in Baden.
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Pastor Don spearheaded the Church of God at Baden’s “Jesus in the City” annual festival. He wanted this outreach to draw people in from the county to participate in ministering to the Baden neighborhood. The festival includes live music, free clothing, food and lots of activities for children.
He was the Chairman of the Board for the Baden Christian Childcare Center where many neighborhood parents brought their children. Through this ministry, he was able to assist and interact with many parents in North St. Louis over the years. Those relationships didn’t end when the children grew up.
Of course, as Pastor, he led numerous Bible studies on different days that were personalized and themed for the needs of the attendees. His Sunday morning messages were always dipped in the message of loving your neighbor as yourself and loving your God with all your heart. He preached the gospel in our 13 missionary churches in Japan. When the Japanese Pastors came to visit Baden, Pastor Don involved them in all of our street ministries.
His heart and mission extended far beyond the bounds of a church and the title “Pastor”. If he had money in his pocket, he gave it away. His home was always shelter for low income and homeless people. But most importantly, he was genuine. If you met him, you could call him friend.
For those of us who knew him day to day, we just called him Don. The Pastor title was unnecessary because the love of God so permeated this man, you couldn’t help but notice. He had one motivation and that was to serve God. His successful life is evidenced now in the words of those who knew him – “He was the perfect example of what I think a Christian ought to be”.
Despite all of these accomplishments, Pastor Don continued to ask us all to be thinking of new ways to minister to our neighborhood. We will miss him terribly, but the Church of God at Baden and the Northside is better for having him in our lives. We will continue the ministries and outreach that he started because the love of Christ compels us and Pastor Don inspires us.
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