I’m so proud and excited about our team leaving thanksgiving evening to serve alongside other churches in the SandyThanksgiving relief efforts for our neighbors in New Jersey! I hope you will pray for them as they travel and work. Thank you for donating funds for the effort. Thanks to you we were able to send $5300.00 to Liquid Church who is gathering the funds and volunteers. Thank you also for supporting actionchurch every week financially. It is because of your faithful giving that we were prepared to fund the travel and supplies needed for our team.
I want to share a paragraph from Kenna’s final instruction email for her team:
“I would like to remind all of you that actionchurch always goes above and beyond. If they ask us to spray two houses, lets try for three. If they ask us to spray 20 houses – do it with a smile. If someone like’s your action t-shirt – give it to them. Clean our work areas, be polite and courteous to everyone (even if they aren’t nice to you), you get the picture…. Let’s just go way overboard with showing God’s love this weekend in a really big way.”
I can’t tell you how happy I was to read those words…and not just because they sound like they came directly from our core values written in the original actionchurch “Manifesto”. They reminded me of MUCH older words. They reminded me of things Jesus said to his followers. “If someone slaps you, turn the other cheek.” “Go the Second mile.” “You are the light of the world”. “The Kingdom of Heaven is in you” I can’t think of better instructions for ALL of us…as a church…and much more importantly…as followers of Jesus.
So, whether you are looking forward to a few days off work, or if you are preparing to work harder than you ever have…whether you are spending time with family, or working a double shift at the plant…Thanksgiving is a great opportunity not only to be grateful, but to show our gratitude to our Savior by showing his love to everyone around us. Invite someone who is lonely to share in your meal. Forgive someone who has wronged you. Listen to someone at your table who has lost a job, or a marriage, or a dream. Love the unlovely. Be Polite. Be courteous. Do it with a smile. Let’s go way overboard with showing God’s love this weekend. The kingdom of heaven is in YOU.