A Full Fifth
Hello Church Family,
I wanted to use this space to mention a few things from our time together for “5th Sunday”, our "worship of service" in place of our normal Sunday morning Worship Service.
As you know some come to stay in the sanctuary and pray together while the rest of the group ventures out into the San Lorenzo River area, downtown and the homeless encampments by the county buildings. Great job church!
1. Solid participation.
One person shared their joy over the number of families involving their kids in this opportunity. It was great to hear their voices and see their labor. Not only was there a good amount of people in attendance, everyone jumped right in and started serving (or praying for those who stayed in the sanctuary) and kept at it until quitting time. Well done.
2. Appreciation by locals.
Just like the last time we did the river clean-up, a variety of people paused to give heart-felt “thank you’s” as we cleaned. It seems our city really appreciates authentic service, lets continue in this connection point. I was a bit surprised at how much cleaner the area was compared to our January outing. We came home with a truckload of garbage again, but we had to look a little harder for it this time.
3. Presence means a lot.
I had an experience with Scott where we cared for a houseless woman downtown through conversation and a bit of prayer. Her demeanor went from distraught to pacified in less than 5 minutes. As I watched our team fan out and interact with people and the environment I’m confident the peace of Christ went with us. Remember whose you are (Christ’s) and who you are (a child of God)…and that His Holy Spirit lives within us. We take Him everywhere we go.
4. "Can’t steer a parked car.”
Our own Joe Strock commented afterwards that we need to be moving (serving/acting in faith) in order for the Lord to use us. We didn’t know how God would work in and through us, just that He would. That is why it is so important to do simple things like river clean ups and interacting with the poor…God loves to orchestrate ministry with each of us playing a part.
Get ready for July—we hope to serve our teachers, students and staff at Westlake Elementary for our next 5th Sunday! Let me know if you can help steer this effort. This is coming next month!
