Chimes Article on missions, sorta

Ponderous Thoughts

“Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.” –Unknown

All right, I admit it. I have sunk to the level of extracting quotes from silly emails. Somehow this one stuck with me though, because it goes to the heart of our church’s disaster response ministries, both the new ones started this year and our ongoing projects. Someone recently stopped by a house where a work team coordinated by Linda C was working diligently away, and commented to me, “No one sees what she does, but she is really changing people’s lives every day.”
As our MERCI Early Response Team and the Community Emergency Response Teams have formed from our church, they have found themselves in a peculiar position: They have worked and trained and prepared to develop skills and resources that they hope never to have to use. These teams are the groups who are prepared to do ministry on our behalf…and like Linda, when the time comes, they will be changing peoples’ lives as well.
There are many ways for us to help people, from volunteering at the church office (a big help, believe me!) to giving to charitable causes to working with a work team or spending time with children as part of LOGOS to giving to special offerings on a Sunday, and all of them are important and valuable ways to be in service. But there’s also something to be said for the times when we can show God’s mercy and kindness to one another face to face, and find that lives can be changed. In whatever way you can, large or small, seek to show some kindness to someone else, face to face…because when we do, God shows up and things change.

Anne

PS: Youth Week starts on Sunday! Sunday’s event is a trip to Jungle Rapids! Call me or for more details.