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8-12-07 -- Changing Lives in a Day Or Less
Joy in the Journey
Journey 2L2, a Christian church in Kingston, New Jersey, organizes weekly service projects, and practical outreach is a core value of the young church.
But this summer the congregation expanded its impact with “A Journey Home,” an initiative to help an entire family transition out of homelessness to a completely furnished home.
Journey staff worked with a local agency to choose a single mom named Cynthia and her two sons for the special project. Members of the Journey Home team met with Cynthia to discover her needs and “wish list” for the new place, and a professional designer in the church created a complete plan for each room. The church—which budgeted only $500 for the entire project—shared a master list of needed items and challenged Journey members to make donations and find bargains. A local mattress company helped by donating a queen-sized bed for Cynthia’s room.
On a Saturday in June, Cynthia and her boys enjoyed an outing while the Journey team transformed an empty apartment into a warm, welcoming refuge. Signs on each door aided efficiency by communicating the master plan to all volunteers; while some put together tables, chairs, and loft beds, others decorated the rooms and filled the refrigerator with food. The team also created a photo collage with Scripture verses and pictures of the family.
The church writes, “The kids were literally bouncing off the walls as they jumped up and down, excited to see everything we had done. Cynthia just stood back and tried to take the whole thing in. The overwhelming look of joy and gratitude on her face was amazing, and as the tears streamed down her face we knew we had accomplished our goal for that day—to use our lives to change lives and to do so with no strings attached.”
www.Journey2L2.org
Fun and Games
In addition to more structured programs like VBS, camp, and mission trips, Harvester Christian Church (St. Charles, Missouri) developed an extensive menu of informal activities for young adults, families, and children to enjoy this summer.
The “Fun Groups” included everything from “improv” to board games, and golf to mountain biking. A group for local and returning college students offered free food and conversation about spiritual issues, Friday picnics allowed young mothers to enjoy conversation while watching their children play, and casual outings for ice cream encouraged entire families to spend time together. Several couples opened their backyards and private pools for barbecues—not just once, but three times—and Harvester welcomed the entire church to monthly “Pray and Play” nights with focused prayer followed by snacks and socializing.
Harvester encouraged members to attend as many groups as they wished and to bring friends to any gathering. The church created a brochure listing the details of every activity and required a simple preregistration from each participant.
www.harvestercc.org
“Project” Management
Last summer, a group from Engle-wood Christian Church (Indianapolis, Indiana) participated in a panel discussion as part of the Ekklesia Project’s annual gathering. The Ekklesia Project, a network of church leaders from across the Christian tradition, also develops a webzine, organizes online forums, and publishes several series of books. Its Congregational Formation Initiative supports churches “committed to making lifelong formation and discipleship central to their life together.” Michael Bowling, pastor at Englewood, is working to develop resources as part of this team and also serves as the Ekklesia Project’s treasurer.
www.englewoodcc.org
www.ekklesiaproject.org
Storm System
Tomoka Christian Church (Ormond Beach, Florida) created its “Emergency Evacuation Ministry” to help both its church family and the larger community during Florida’s annual hurricane season. The ministry offers help to mobile home dwellers, beachside residents, and others in need during the storms and connects them with Tomoka members who open their homes as temporary shelter.
www.tomokachristian.com
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD's contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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