Get off your pew!!!
Yesterday I joined our teens for a service day in which we took an official boatload of sweatshirts, blankets, shirts, hats, and other winter clothing to Monroe Park, a regular downtown hang out spot for Richmond's homeless population. When we arrived we saw some members from a Korean church serving hot spaghetti and french bread to the men and women in the park. The homeless folks saw our bus pull up and slowly walked toward where we were parked. After we told them what we were doing, it was like pigeons flocking to an outdoor bistro, geese gathering around a boy with a bag of Wonder bread, seagulls swarming the annoying guy at the beach that keeps feeding them cookies. At first they made a small line and gave the appearance of waiting patiently. But once the first guy grabbed something off a table, it was open season. We kept pleading for them to let us get everything out of the bags and boxes so they could see what we had. Instead they eventually came around the tables and went through our bags and boxes themselves. Amazing. Everything was taken. We left with a couple shirts and a few accessesories, everything else - down to the garbage bags we brought the clothes in - was taken.
Several things struck me about this experience:
1. Everyone was incredibly friendly and thankful. Many people have a bad perception of the homeless. Many think they're mentally unstable, violent, abrasive, abusive, vulgar, mean, and bitter. What we experienced was quite the opposite. We heard so many 'thank you's', even from those who didn't find anything they needed. Some people returned things when they could find no one to take what they didn't need. They didn't return it because they didn't like it, but because they wanted everyone to be able to get something to help them stay warm.
2. I will probably not see any of those men or women come to our church, much less place membership, and that's okay. It would be such a shame if someone said, "You know, we really don't need to spend our time or energy on this anymore because no one placed membership as a result. The church just isn't growing with this ministry so let's scrap it." Jesus didn't help people for the sake of building up his posse. He didn't heal the sick or turn water into wine so that He could become more popular. Instead He was full of love, grace, and compassion and wanted to share it with the world. Is outreach necessary? Yes. Is it important to work to reach the lost and allow the gospel to transform their lives? Absolutely. Is it important to keep our churches ever-growing lest we become stagnant, lazy or exclusive? Sure it is. But ministry cannot be gauged by worldly standards. It cannot be gauged by numbers, budgets, or baptisms. Those things are beneficial results, but ought not be the purpose. The purpose is to share the love of Jesus with the world.
3. We have some awesome teens in our youth ministry. I was so proud to see our group grab handfuls of water bottles or sandwiches or socks or toothbrushes and walk through the park, holding their items in the air, asking, "Does anybody need a...(fill in the blank)?" What is amazing is that I can see a visible transformation in their understanding of the Kingdom because they have become servant-driven. They have become compassionate toward any and everyone in need and are equally aware of their ability to meet those needs. It's quite inspiring to see what can happen when the church realizes Christianity is not about them, it's about Jesus and sharing Him - all His love, grace, forgiveness, and passion - with the world that exists all around us.
If you haven't served anyone yet this holiday season, take a morning, afternoon or evening to purposefully seek out a man or woman or family who could use some help. Maybe a homeless person or single mom who could use some help. See how much your worldview changes when you're focused on someone other than yourself.
Several things struck me about this experience:
1. Everyone was incredibly friendly and thankful. Many people have a bad perception of the homeless. Many think they're mentally unstable, violent, abrasive, abusive, vulgar, mean, and bitter. What we experienced was quite the opposite. We heard so many 'thank you's', even from those who didn't find anything they needed. Some people returned things when they could find no one to take what they didn't need. They didn't return it because they didn't like it, but because they wanted everyone to be able to get something to help them stay warm.
2. I will probably not see any of those men or women come to our church, much less place membership, and that's okay. It would be such a shame if someone said, "You know, we really don't need to spend our time or energy on this anymore because no one placed membership as a result. The church just isn't growing with this ministry so let's scrap it." Jesus didn't help people for the sake of building up his posse. He didn't heal the sick or turn water into wine so that He could become more popular. Instead He was full of love, grace, and compassion and wanted to share it with the world. Is outreach necessary? Yes. Is it important to work to reach the lost and allow the gospel to transform their lives? Absolutely. Is it important to keep our churches ever-growing lest we become stagnant, lazy or exclusive? Sure it is. But ministry cannot be gauged by worldly standards. It cannot be gauged by numbers, budgets, or baptisms. Those things are beneficial results, but ought not be the purpose. The purpose is to share the love of Jesus with the world.
3. We have some awesome teens in our youth ministry. I was so proud to see our group grab handfuls of water bottles or sandwiches or socks or toothbrushes and walk through the park, holding their items in the air, asking, "Does anybody need a...(fill in the blank)?" What is amazing is that I can see a visible transformation in their understanding of the Kingdom because they have become servant-driven. They have become compassionate toward any and everyone in need and are equally aware of their ability to meet those needs. It's quite inspiring to see what can happen when the church realizes Christianity is not about them, it's about Jesus and sharing Him - all His love, grace, forgiveness, and passion - with the world that exists all around us.
If you haven't served anyone yet this holiday season, take a morning, afternoon or evening to purposefully seek out a man or woman or family who could use some help. Maybe a homeless person or single mom who could use some help. See how much your worldview changes when you're focused on someone other than yourself.
posted by CoryJones at 11:32 PM
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