Who would have thought that First Church could have accomplished what took place this last weekend? In many ways it was bigger than the Marathon. We worked together to help others in our community with projects they could not do without our hands and feet. It is incredible what can be done when we step out of the way and let God work through us for His kingdom. Don’t get me wrong on this. God was going to accomplish His kingdom goals with us or without us, but when we yield our hearts and follow His lead we are fully in the blessings which He gives to us. The blessings of providing a new place for people to lay their heads at night. The blessings of fresh berries that will be grown in raised beds this next year. The blessings of a clear path to paint a house in desperate need of upkeep. The blessings of home and laundry facilities that are safe for you to enter, and beautiful to look upon. The blessings of continuing to create glass for the Memorial to sell for those who want to remember forever the federal building disaster. The blessings of being able to enter a kitchen and receive food from a sanitary environment and bathrooms which are finally habitable.

220 men, women, and children setting aside their own lives for two days to reach out to others in need. This is the church!! This is the church!! We should be yelling it from the rooftops that the church is alive and well and serving in the way that Jesus Christ intended. Lives were touched by our going out, and our lives were changed by the faces we encountered. As I have shared this story with other minister friends I have seen in their face an almost disbelief when I reached the part about not having a service on Sunday morning. It is so backward to our way of doing things, that it catches people unaware. They are not sure they have heard you correctly when you share it. When I shared it with those who were visiting from out of town this past weekend for their high school reunions they were so excited to share in our effort. Two of the ladies said they would go to their church to see if they could do something similar. One of the ladies who was raised in this church as a youngster said, “This church has always cared for others in this way.”

Tell me how you saw God through this past weekend. Let us know so we can share the stories of God’s love to many others through your writing. How has God changed you for the work He has allowed you to do for Him this past week?

On the journey together,
Kirk