Community Outreach – Amy Bradley
During the shutdowns of 2020-2021 associated with the response to COVID, many folks suffered from loneliness and battled feelings of hopelessness. In the aftermath we have come to realize the importance of community and being connected to others. It is heartbreaking to read and hear about the increased incidences of suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, and overall devastation of families. As a church of Christ believers, it is an honor and privilege to represent a living God to a fearful, sad and hopeless society.
Outreach to our immediate community is a high priority to us as believers; and seeing the response of our church body to the call to love our neighbors has been amazing.
As we read scripture, we learn that loving our neighbors as ourselves is given equivalent importance to loving God with our whole being.
In Mark 12, verses 30 and 31 Jesus confirms the weight of importance of loving others.
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
In spring of 2021, the Lord began asking me to organize and invite others in our church body, to join me in blessing our immediate church neighbors. Faithful to provide willing volunteers, God showed up and made the direction clear. From the “what to do” to the “how to do it”, everything fell into place smoothly and our first venture into the neighborhood was on April 25, 2021. A small group came together and potted, decorated and delivered 100 beautiful plants to our surrounding neighbors.
While this started out as a one-time event, the positive response received from the folks receiving the flowers was very encouraging and prompted an expansion of the “neighborhood”.
In December we decided to take gift bags containing sweet treats, ornaments, and jingle bells to nearby apartment complexes. It was with great delight that we met families with children and witnessed the joy a simple gift brought to those receiving them.
The decision was made to continue this outreach into 2022. To date we have combined both “neighborhoods” into one and delivered “Valentine” bags in February. This bag contained some chocolates, decorative hearts and scripture cards. Believing God’s word does not return void, we know those that received the bags also got a “love note” from the creator of the world and we trust the Holy Spirit to touch each person. We again had a good turnout of volunteers who were excited to participate in assembling and delivering gifts to our neighbors.
Our most recent event just concluded May 1, 2022, with 265 potted plants being delivered to the greater “neighborhood”. Our group of volunteers continues to grow and the excitement for delivery day was palpable. We had a great representation of the varying generations of our church and the cooperation of all involved was amazing!
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