"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
As the Apostle Paul tells us, God gave each of us a gift or gifts to serve. He also gave us the eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to feel. I believe He also gave us the ability to ask and then act on the question, “What about?…”
Our church is so blessed to have Pastors and members who continually ask that question, and because we do, many different ways to serve our Lord, our community, and our church have, and continue to come into being.
So, I would like to mention just a few, all of which came from a desire to serve God, our community, and one another, by asking… "What about?".
Gettysburg Place litter pickup: This idea came about as a member of the Old Guys Rule Bible Study was driving down Gettysburg Place one Wednesday morning and noticed litter along the roadway. So, he asked the group if they would like to begin a weekly trash pickup along the street. This desire to serve continues to this day and has even spread to include Porter Road.
Food For You: The idea for Food for You started in late 2019, but because of Covid-19, it wasn’t able to begin serving our community until September 2020. And although it has grown slowly over the past year, both our community and church have been blessed in so many ways by giving the opportunity to get to know some of our neighbors and to serve people in need.
Second Stop: A part of the Food For You activities came into being to allow us to provide more than food, with items such as diapers, dogfood and gracious donations provided by our congregation. It also gave us the opportunity to provide information to our neighbors about upcoming church events.
Then came a “What About?” in the name of community outreach. This idea was sparked by a desire of Pastor Jon’s to reach into the area southwest of our Church and minister to our neighbors there. And now we had the vehicle of Food for You to do just that. So shortly after we began our food distribution program from the new activity center, we began visiting our neighbors on Gettysburg Place, Porter Road and Porterfield Court. Yes, it was scary at first, but when we stepped out in faith the blessings poured in. People we contacted graciously received us, visited with us, confided in, asked us to pray for and with them and also referred us to neighbors that need food assistance, even though they may not have needed it themselves. And now when we ride into the neighborhood we are greeted with smiles, waves, and statements like, “please pray for me!” Some have begun joining us on Sunday, as well as other church activities.
And that only scratches the surface. Programs like Trunk or Treat, Christmas Lightshow, the Garage sale, Pancake Breakfast, National Night Out, Pickle Ball, Hula for Health, Numerous Bible studies, Quilting, Knitting, and many others came to be because someone asked, "What About?".
So it doesn’t matter the size of your service to the Lord. It can be small or large, it is simply a matter of prayer, your heart, and a desire to serve God that counts. So step out and serve in the way you feel drawn, and never be afraid to ask… “What About?”. After all, what you do or what you give may seem small, but our Lord is in the business of miracles and He does great things with the smallest acts of heart felt prayer and service.
“What about” the idea of starting a plastic water bottle and aluminum can recycling program to support digging wells to supply clean drinking water in third world countries? Anybody interested? What else might the Lord lead you to? "What about" …