Even though I don't like to hear it, I sometimes catch myself saying, "But we're just a small church." That becomes an instant excuse for not doing big things. And it's misguided, in my opinion. I want to erase that phrase from my vocabulary, because it's a thoroughly fleshly way of looking at ministry.
Let me remind you of what "just a small church" has been doing lately:
Youth at Bridge of Hope: A couple of Sundays ago, our youth group went to Bridge of Hope to teach Sunday school to all ages of youth. Bridge of Hope wants to know when they can come again, and our youth had a great experience serving. The youth also have several outreach events throughout the year (the adults should have such a schedule!).
MegaDay: Several members from Grace helped with Bridge of Hope's "MegaDay," reaching out to their neighbors in the inner core by doing yard work, oil changes, clean up, and praying for various needs.
Quilts: Margaret Reimer's crew at Good Samaritan, with the help of a handful of members of Grace meet weekly to make quilts to provide to ministries such as Advice and Aid, so that young parents will have a warm quilt for their new babies.
ASK: We have a team of people who go to Oxford Middle School after school on Wednesdays and Thursdays to help students with their homework.
YouthFriends: A YouthFriend meets regularly with a student at school for lunch to be a positive adult influence for kids who have a particular need. I've already been able to get a start on this, but we're adding several more with training on 5/22 at the church.
Food Backpacks: We already have quite a few, and are looking for more, to buy certain grocery items on a regular basis to stock Oxford Middle School's backpack program, providing weekend meals for the family of students when needed.
Financial Class: John Harrison is teaching basic financial responsibility every other Saturday at Bridge of Hope.
Career Counseling: Mike Medhurst is getting involved in providing basic career counseling at Bridge of Hope.
Mission SouthSide: Several of our members of volunteered some time at Mission SouthSide, meeting the physical and spiritual needs within South Johnson County. We are partnering with Mission SouthSide on the backpack program.
Garage Sales: There have been a few garage sales by our members to raise money for the orphanage in Kenya, and the proceeds from the churchwide garage sale coming up will also be sent there.
Awana / VBS: Of course, the teams of people who make Awana and VBS happen every year invest a great deal of themselves into children, many of whom don't attend Grace (or any church, in several cases).
Women's Retreat Outreach: The women's retreat this year included three women from the Straight and Narrow transition house, building relationships, and providing yet another avenue of positive influence for Christ in the lives of women who are so focused on living redeemed lives.
Small Group Outreach: Each small group has $200 available to spend on whatever outreach they choose, as long as they are involved in the outreach itself.
Bread of Life: We have helped with their Christmas outreach every year, and in May and June, I'll be teaching there on Wednesday nights.
More... I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, and there are plenty of things going on I'm not even aware of.
One of the goals we set for ourselves two years ago was to push out more from the four walls of the church. We are seeing God bring this about in ways that we never would have guessed when we set those goals. Being open to whatever God has planned is far more effective than just making plans by our own effort.
"Just a small church"? Big deal!
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