As I get feedback from more and more people here are a few of the things that encourage me a great deal...
1. Numerous people and families have talked about how easy it was..."we just showed up, got instructions and served". Now there was tons of "behind the scenes" preparation that went into our experiences, but much of that had to do with the establishment of relationships and the logistics of preparing for a sizable group to go out...BUT the reality is that what people have been saying is absolutely true...IT IS EASY TO SERVE AND BE PRESENT!
2. Wally mentioned one of his experiences with a lady working at BP he bought a soft drink for...it made her month! I cannot think of an easier way to impact someone's attitude immediately!
3. Heather mentioned that a police officers talked about how a number of people give them lip service but few people ever actually do anything for them. Just bringing them bagels was a huge deal! Another one of our bagel drops resulted in the organization asking us for a poster they could put up to let their staff know about our church!
4. Since our time of serving I have spoken with Dan & Janet as well as Sandy about some of the people they visited at the nursing home! They all had very meaningful interactions with the people they visited and Sandy even mentioned how this was a great first step to the possibility of an ongoing relationship with the ladies they met!
We will certainly continue to program opportunities for people to serve, be present and impact the community...but things are even more powerful and transformational (for us and our community) when this type of behavior becomes part of our natural lifestyle as well as programing we participate in! Open yourself to the many ways you can impact people each week and be inspired by God's Word that tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves! Do what it says (James 1:22)".
Thanks for living out the truth we have been learning!
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