This update is from Steve Solari, lead pastor at Hope Community Fellowship, GCI’s congregation in The Colony, Texas, (on the north side of the Dallas metro area).
When there is a fifth Sunday in a month, we cancel regular worship services and hold a service project in the community where our church building is located. We’ve helped the city’s Volunteer Assistance Project repair fences and clean yards for disabled veterans or shut-ins. We’ve helped a local non-profit prepare boxes of food for children who need meals while school is out. We also helped a senior resident move into assisted living. This July (when it was too hot for an outdoor project) we hosted a meal honoring the community’s first responders (police and firefighters). When I announced the event to the congregation, there was a spontaneous outburst of applause. Like many in The Colony, our members greatly appreciate what our local heroes do for us. We wanted to show our thanks.
Our members brought food for a meal to which all the police and firefighters in the community were invited. The firefighters came in shifts to ensure coverage for emergencies, and police officers dropped in as time permitted (even though it was his day off, the Chief of Police stopped in). Apparently the community noticed—an anonymous donor (who never came inside) gave a cash donation of over $100 to help fund the event. The response was fantastic, and we’re looking forward to doing this event regularly to show thanks to community servants who often are forgotten.
Awesome community outreach, brother/pastor Steve. Love and blessings to you and your wonderful congregation.
Wonderful to hear about how the Spirit is guiding your congregation to serve the community! What a blessing to serve the children of the Lord… May he continue to lead you to greater and greater opportunities.
Ah, thinking outside the box, “spontaneous outburst of applause”, now that’s the way to go. How exciting to say a tangible “thank you” from a body of believers in God to groups of community servants, some of whom are so often at the pointy end of all sorts of difficulties, abuse and even exclusion from the rest of society. May this “inclusion” and “you are worthy” continue, and may many other bodies of believers do something similar in their own communities. Well done oh faithful servants of God.
Great gift to the public servants. I can feel the excitement of your members! I hope you repeat this on a regular basis.
Well done, Steve–an especially timely event idea here in CA with all the fires–NE