Church in the Park

Today our church doors stayed locked, the sanctuary completely empty . . . because we had church in the Park, complete with baptisms in the river, volleyball, and activities for the kids.

We have been looking forward to it for weeks--the day when we would worship, learn, and fellowship out in the open. Everyone was told to bring sack lunches plus one extra. The church staff loaded ice chests with the lunches, as water and other drinks and plenty of extra sandwiches; they covered a table with baskets full of cookies and bags of chips. We didn't want this to be an exclusive "members only" event; we hoped people would hear the music or teaching and wander over, and if they did, we hoped they would accept our offer to stay. Since our church loves to reach out to the community, volunteers also planned to walk around with the extra lunches and invite people to join us or just give them something to eat. (I live in Reno, Nevada and we have a lot of poor and homeless downtown where this park happens to be.)

I must admit that I wondered how outsiders would respond. Would they make fun of our music or mock the sermon? Would they accept the offers to join the picnic or just take the food and walk away? Would half the lunches go uneaten? Instead, passers by stopped to listen and many set down for both the service and lunch. A rafter stopped to watch the baptisms. One teenage boy approached a girl who had been baptized and asked, "How did you know for sure you were saved?" and she got to share with him. No one seemed to care that it was 100 degrees outside; we were having too much fun to care about weather.

I have no idea who got the lunch I made, but I pray they walked away knowing . . .
God truly does love them
Their life can change
Following Christ, while not always easy, can fill your life with joy, hope, wonderful friends, and yes, even fun

When have you had an exciting opportunity to reach out to your community? How did you see God at work?

I would love to hear your stories. 

    

Hey! Texas girls, do you want to help?

Do you live near North Dallas? Have you ever been part of something big? Take a look at this and see if you can round up someone to go with you and be a part of something important. And if you don't live in Texas, near Dallas, go to the website and see if the Convoy of Hope might be coming to your area.

Volunteers Still Needed

On Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 PM, Convoy of Hope will hold a volunteer rally at the event site between Burnett Jr. High and Rita & Truett Smith Library in Wylie. Also, on Oct. 23 and 24, volunteers are needed for site set-up at the same location. For information or to volunteer, please call (972) 578-9999 or (469) 441-7322.

Convoy of Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides resources to organizations and churches to meet physical and spiritual needs for the purpose of making the community a better place. This is accomplished through outreaches, supply lines, and disaster response domestically and internationally. For more information, please visit online at http://www.convoyofhope.org/.

CONVOY OF TIRELESS GIVING ROLLS INTO WYLIE
40,000 Pounds of Free Groceries Will Be Distributed to Thousands of Collin County Children and Families Dealing with Double-Digit Inflation; Convoy of Hope Galvanizes Support from Hundreds to Make a Community Difference.
Sometimes angels drive eighteen wheelers. On Sat., October 25 at 10 AM, thousands of North Dallas children and families suffering from double-digit inflation will have their prayers answered. When they attend the Collin County Convoy of Hope in Wylie, Texas, each family will receive two free bags of groceries as part of 40,000 lbs of groceries to be given on a first-come, first-served basis as supplies last.

In addition, Convoy of Hope will provide health screenings, games and activities for children, live entertainment, lunch and a job fair. And, did we mention, it’s ALL FREE of charge, and ALL are welcome to attend. No identification is required.

Rain or shine, The Collin County Convoy of Hope outreach will be held in front of Burnett Jr. High and Rita & Truett Smith Library in Wylie. Red, white and blue striped eighteen wheeler trucks parked out front will make the event site easily recognizable.

Based in Springfiled, MO, Convoy of Hope is a non-profit organization founded to reach out to children and families by meeting some of their most basic needs. Since 1994, it has served more than 22.9 million people with more than $100 million in food donations.