Randy no-blog tipped me off that a church I attended for a brief time is using Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose to kick off 40 Days of Community. Before you read it, my disclaimer is: yes, I attended a Methodist community; no, I am not Methodist. Additionally, while I am not a Rick Warren fan, I am also not a hater nor an on-going critic. Although I didn't really like The Purpose-Driven Life, I didn't see it as heresy nor on the brink leading to such. Most importantly, I love the principles this community is moving to embrace.La Croix United Methodist Church is intent on working "toward developing a community both inside and outside the church. ... While the congregation prays and works toward developing a caring, loving relationship within its walls, the members will also be reaching out to the community to help those in need."
Warren writes relative to what on earth are we here for?
Imagine what could happen if every small group in your church reached out together, showing love in practical ways to those in your community. Now imagine what could happen if every small group in all churches across the country did it with you!
Millions of lives would be touched, millions of people would begin a relationship with Christ, practical needs would be met, and the church would become known more for the love it shows than for what it is against. God would be pleased, and we could see a spiritual awakening that is desperately needed in our culture.
La Croix is focussing on a few basic points in this effort:
- Unified prayer
- Concentrated focus - through each church ministry and program
- Multiple reminders through the week, including small groups, daily quiet times and a weekly memory verse
- Teaching - to help people become doers and not mere listeners
- Exponential thinking - that stretches faith. It forces leaders to look beyond what God has done before and focus instead on believing God for greater growth
- Help the public library move to its temporary location while the library building is being enlarged and remodeled.
- Help organize and clean the FISH food pantry.
- Repair and paint the Revival Center in Jackson.
- Entertain and visit with elderly residents at the Heartland Nursing Home.
- Make homemade goodies to share with the Boys and Girls Club, help the Boys and Girls Club with fund-raising activities and work with the young people in a variety of ways.
- Making lunch for construction workers.
- Repairing bicycles.
- Washing windows for downtown business owners.
- Giving away candy or other small tokens at a location with foot traffic.
- Handing out quarters at a local car wash for customers.
- Setting up a dog wash.
- Offering doughnuts to drivers in morning traffic.
- Setting up a stand to give away tomatoes and other goodies from participants' gardens.
- Giving away long-distance phone cards.
- Offering to clean bathrooms at gas stations and bars.
Yesterday as we gave out food stuff as part of our regular Saturday service work, I was once again impressed by the volunteers. Roughly half were from the low income apartments that we serve. We took one of the ladies with her 13 year old grandson out for lunch afterward. It was wonderful to serve with them. The young man's mother is a drug addict and his father just had a stroke. This women with little means to support herself took the boy in. She was very appreciative of the help our church was providing her and she talked continuously about the visible love of God.
I pray that she and the boy would know that while that's true, it's more - they both need to receive His forgiveness and live their lives fully committed to his Lordship. I pray that as those folks at La Croix reach out into their community that both the community and La Croix have their hearts changed forever by the living God.
Technorati Tags: community, evangelism, outreach, service
5 comments:
Sounds like the folks in LaCroix have an interesting campaign underway. I am not a "purpose driven" disciple either. However, like many other "programs" or "systems" out there it can certainly work for a time. My issue with most systems is that they are not universally applicable to all communities. I would have no problem using something like that to mobilize people for a particular season, to learn what could be learned from it, and then to move on to other lifestyle and ministry issues the Scripture addresses. I just don't like getting stuck in "canned" programs that worked for someone else and ended up being packaged, exported and, dare I say it, canonized.
Rob - I like how you put it. Systems cannot replace Scripture or lives empowered by the Spirit. They will always be less than that. And, far too often, the system becomes the ultimate goal which is very wrong.
Rick,
I have mixed feelings about the LaCroix program. It seems that Biblically, our first obligation is to care for the believers. Then we should care for the helpless--widows, orphans, etc. How does cleaning public restrooms fit with any of the Biblical mandates?
Randy - direct Biblical mandate? I'll take the lazy route and say 'none' - someone is free to to spend the time finding one.
For me, sitting here typing to you, also has no direct Biblical mandate.
Indirectly however there are many Biblical principles behind serving others outside of the Christian community.
I also agree with you point of caring for those within our community. We've talked that before. I'm not sure it is 'first' but certainly it is not to be neglected.
Rick,
I can't be too critical because they are obviously doing no harm. It just seems like they could find something that is more "Biblical" than "cleaning bathrooms at gas stations and bars". Why not cleaning the bathrooms of the poor, elderly, or disabled? It almost seems like the goal is to improve the Christian image in the community rather than serve those in need. Don't know. I surely don't want to be accused of judging the motives of other believers. :-)
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