September 18, 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Eli Akin is all about serving others. He has developed an outreach ministry, M25 Barbecue, that is personal, selfless, effective, and Christ-honoring. His ministry combines compassion, service, evangelism, and, yes - barbecue – a winning recipe for any church or community.
“M25 isn’t your typical outreach ministry,” said Akin. “Here is how it works: We bring our food trailer into communities and offer free meals to residents. We let this free gift of food reflect the free gift of the gospel. When people come to our food trailer, we pray for them, share the gospel, give them gospel resources, and connect them with a local church."
Eli and his wife, Whitney, are members of New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA. New Hope Pastor Rhys Stenner, said, “Eli and his family minister out of a passion to serve. He pours himself into service and simply loves the gospel and the church.”
Stenner continued, “Eli is a talented leader and easy to get to know by reason of his humility and prayer. His passion for barbecue is an extra string to his bow and it means that his whole ministry experience is outstanding.”
Akin explained, “I started M25 Barbecue, Inc. back in the pandemic of 2020. At that time, I was a musician on the road but came to the stark realization that all my events were getting canceled, and I began to wonder what I was going to do. I felt like if I didn’t have a guitar strapped on my shoulder, I couldn’t minister to people."
Akin recalled reading Matthew 25 one morning, and realizing that God had given him a servant’s heart. "I began to see that many people were struggling during the pandemic," he said, "and I asked the Lord what I could do to help those hurting people. God birthed something in my heart that I was not expecting. He took something I love, and He turned it into a way to serve others."
Akin testified, “I have loved cooking BBQ for a long time, and it was the week of Easter 2020, that I decided that I was going to cook up a ton of BBQ and deliver it to shut-ins from different churches in our county. So, on Easter Sunday my wife, my kids, and I spent the day making deliveries."
The ministry is a family affair, Akin said. “My wife helps me with scheduling, serving at outreach events, and food preparation. My children, Evangeline, Beatrice, and L.D. are always excited for the events; and it is a joy serving together as a family."
And the ministry has grown from its humble beginnings. Akin described the scale of it, saying, “Now, we have a large operation including three commercial cookers, two food trailers with commercial equipment, 60+ volunteers, and we are doing 1-2 events per week and having record crowds line up for our food trailer. We average serving around 10,000 free meals per year, and we would like to see that number double in the near future.”
Akin said apartment complexes provide fertile soil for the ministry. “I spend a lot of time meeting with management at apartment complexes,” he explained. “Typically, many managers schedule food trucks to come serve their residents once per month, but when I offer our free food truck to the management, not only is it a blessing for the residents, but it is a blessing for the management as well.”
Getting management permission, though, is only the first step. Akin then reaches out to a local church and plans the event. “We have seen God do amazing things through this ministry,” he said, “and I am honored and grateful that He chooses to use me in this way.”
Akin is adamant that the purpose of the ministry is to provide spiritual nourishment. “Some might conclude that we are a commercial food truck or a catering service, but we are not,” he emphasized. “We are a Gospel outreach ministry!”
Mike Dorough, pastor of Transformation Church in Gainesville, met Akin several months ago. “Eli drove up to Gainesville and shared his heart for M25 Barbecue,” Dorough said. “It sounds too good to be true, but it is 100% true.”
Dorough and his church plant have benefited from the Akin family ministry and currently plan to have them help with an outreach venture in the nearby community of Lula, Ga., on Sept. 20.
The day before, members of Transformation Church will prayer walk in Lula and leave door hangers inviting the community to a free barbecue meal at the Lula train depot sponsored by M25 Barbecue. Dorough and his members and friends will be on hand the next day to engage with people, pray with them, and share the gospel.
“There is a large homeless population in Lula,” commented Dorough, “and we hope that many of them will come and receive a free meal. Most of all, we pray that we will have the opportunity to lead people to Christ.”
“You don’t realize what a 30-second prayer can mean to someone until you look up and see their tears,” Akin concluded. “So many of the people we encounter are living in fear and hopelessness, and they need to see God’s love in action.”
If you would like to learn more about M25 Barbecue, sign up to volunteer or support their ministry, visit www.m25barbecue.com.
