It always excites me to speak with prospective volunteers, who are interested in becoming involved with local ministry. This week when I received a voicemail from a woman, I could hear something in her voice that distinguished her from any “normal” church member. In fact, as I spoke to her I learned that she was not a member of our church, but a resident of Garden Gate. I recently distributed welcome letters to 40 new residents in the Garden Gate apartment complex. E received the letter and responded to the opportunity to become involved with serving her community. She promptly called me to inquire about possibilities. We set up a time for me to visit her in her home the next day and I was truly blessed by the opportunity to do so.
When the door opened, E greeted me with a warm smile and motioned me into her living room. She showed me where she wanted me to sit, on her “best piece of furniture”. I watched her slowly walk across the empty room to the other side so that she could sit on couch that looked much older. The few items that E had in her home looked as if they had been donated; they were charmingly mismatched and dated. E speaks very slowly, so I couldn’t help but notice that there were pillows and blankets on the couch as she was telling me her story. I wondered if she had a bed to sleep on.
I learned so much about E during the few minutes that I was in her home. There is a powerful phenomenon that takes place in someone’s living room, especially when Christ is present. This is one reason why I think cell groups can be so transparent and transformative. E’s apartment at Garden Gate is her first home since she has overcome a state of homelessness. She has spent many nights at the Union Gospel Mission, the library, and in her car. She now volunteers with young women at the Union Gospel Mission and is passionate about helping others. I explained to her all of the opportunities that she has to volunteer alongside Northwood at Garden Gate, and shared the concept of cells with her. When she showed interest, I asked E if she would be willing to use her home for others to gather. She was hesitant as she explained to me that we were sitting in her living room as well as bedroom and she had no real furniture. I must have been looking at all that she owned in front of me, including her “bed”. Though my heart broke for E, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by her positive outlook on how far she had come. She did mention that she did not have a bed but did not ask me for help to get one. E also mentioned that she battled depression and had some disabilities, but these components of her life were not going to keep her from acknowledging her love for the Lord.
I returned to my office burdened by E’s situation and sent out a text to Freedom City subscribers to try to meet her need of a bed. In less than 24 hours I received an email from a church member who is willing to donate a full bed in great condition to her.
As we fall into the habit of building our lives around comfort and routine, we hide from opportunities to serve. We feel that we are not ready, not prayed up, not competent, under-resourced, and tired. These are all lies. When we open our hearts to serve, we open our hearts to receive. E had a pure motive to love those in her community. She has very little but through reaching out in faith she is going to be blessed with her physical needs being met. God calls each of us to serve no matter our circumstances and this is why incarnational ministry is so crucial to local ministry. Meet your community where you are, you are not an outsider because your circumstances may appear different.
