Last Saturday, some people from Living Faith spent a good part of the day working on a community garden project in Millville. It was truly a collaborative effort as you can see from this partial list of organizations that provided materials and people.
#millvilledepartmentofrecreation
#DrMartinLutherKingCenterinNewtonville
And people who actually live in the 4th and Vine neighborhood.
What really touched me is the way we worked together and the joyful, hopeful moments it produced. It felt like community. It was community. It felt like people seeing and caring for one another. It was hopeful. And it inspired my soul.
Likewise, in our Sunday Service, the words and testimony of Larry and Leslie Baruffi, moved me to remember the powerful way intentional relationship building, over a period of time, creates opportunity to simply share our Savior with others so that they can discover how wonderful He is.
In the same service, Darren Shelburne of Young Life shared the pressing need of adolescents in Cumberland County to discover Jesus through caring relationships and introduced us to the moving words of the Young Life Founder, spoken two weeks before His death.
There are times when one just needs reminders to pay attention to the things that matter most. The gaggle of attention-stealing thoughts and activities in our lives amazingly conspire to fog over how what we do in service to our most treasured values.
So, would you receive a gentle reminder to consider what are the values that you most dearly hold and how are you doing in actually pushing away the clutter to live the main things in service of our Savior?
Why not seek out, join, and prioritize your time to get to know community leaders and their efforts to seek the welfare of the city? If you need help with this or know someone I should meet, please let me know because nothing would make me happier than to see LFA renew her place in building up our communities!
Why not connect with Sarah Bates to see what you can do to build relationship with the children and families that grace our Living Faith community?
Why not connect to Dan and Holly Matro to see what you can do to support their efforts to build relationships that grow our youth in Christ?
Or my brother, Angelo as he builds Treasure Seekers or Summer ministry opportunities?
A final thought:
I just noticed how often the disciples got up and went somewhere to reach others (NIV uses the word “went” 75 times) - that’s a lot of God’s people going!
Empower us, as your servants, to speak the word of God freely and courageously. Stretch out your hand of power through us to heal, and to move in signs and wonders by the name of your holy Son, Jesus! As they prayed the earth shook beneath them, causing the building they were in to tremble. Each one of them was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they proclaimed the word of God with unrestrained boldness. Acts 4. 29b-31, The Passion Translation
- George
*Please be advised that this blog represents the views, opinions and beliefs of the writer and does not necessarily reflect those of our church leadership or denominational affiliation.