The season of Lent leading up to Resurrection Sunday is always a special and beloved time for believers, and it is an especially encouraging time for those of us in Outreach Ministry. As we spend time contemplating God’s love for us thru Christ’s finished work on the cross, we are also focused on the many ways we can show that same love to those around us who need it the most.
Outreach in our neighborhood isn’t grand or expensive, it is humble and heartfelt just like our little Community church that has sat on the corner for 39 years and counting. Some of us live, work, worship, and serve in this same neighborhood. In this way, God has called us to minister to and love those who are truly our neighbors in a very personal, raw, and real kind of way. It means walking out your faith daily and living in such a manner that points people to Jesus.
Of all the ways we show love, I’m learning it really is the small things that touch people and draw them ever closer to seeking the cross-a handwritten note, an encouraging word, escorting a new visitor to church so they feel included, a hug, praying over your neighborhood homes and with their families, a meal, a visit to say “we’ve missed you” or a card that lets someone know they aren’t forgotten..we are all equipped to show God’s love, so let’s challenge ourselves to look around our own backyard and find ways to love those around us just like Jesus did!!
