Brothers and sisters,
In just about ten days, our church is going to begin a week-long commitment to missions in our community. That commitment is know as “Operation Inasmuch,” taking its name from the story of the sheep and the goats in Mat-thew’s gospel. When Jesus told the sheep that they had helped him in so many ways, they asked, “Lord, when did we see you this way? When did we do these things for you?” And Jesus replied to them, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40; KJV). Thus, we are going to be giving back to our community in several different ways during the week from April 21st through April 27th.
On Sunday, the 21st, the children of our church will be decorating and assembling bags of treats and goodies for the bus drivers at Parkwood Elementary School to show our appreciation for all they do. Those bags will be delivered on Friday of that week so that the bus drivers get to start their weekend knowing that there are some in their community who love and appreciate them.
On Wednesday, April 24th, at 6:30 PM during our usual Bible Study time, the adults of our church will also be assembling bags, but these will be different. These will be bags filled with useful items to give to folks experiencing homelessness in our community. Basically, these bags will be filled with some basic supplies that people who spend all day in the elements may need: bottled water, band aids, sunscreen, ponchos—as well as some snacks. Once those bags are assembled, we will make them available for folks to be able to pick them up and carry in their car. You’ll be encouraged, then, to give out those bags to anyone you see in Durham who needs a blessing. As part of that, we are asking folks to bring in supplies for those bags—the list of needed items is printed in the Operation Inasmuch announcement in this newsletter. So, if you can come out on Wednesday the 24th and pack bags, we’d love to see you! If you aren’t able to help pack bags, you can bring in items that will go into those bags!
Then, on Saturday, April 27th, we are planning to have volunteers go to the home of one of our church members and do some yard work and light repairs. If you are interested in helping with that, please be sure to sign up in the vestibule. If there is a specific type of yard work you’d be willing to do or a specific tool you can bring to help, you can list that next to your name as well. Once I’ve got an idea of who all can help, we’ll coordinate a time with the church member we’re helping and finalize what we’ll be doing that day.
Also, starting Sunday morning, April 28th, we will begin a month-long collection drive for supplies for our Hope House. There are several needed items listed in the Operation Inasmuch announcement in this newsletter. This collection will run through the month of May.
To top it all off, on Sunday, April 28th at 5:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall, we will be having an Ice Cream and Dessert Social with a missionary in India whom our church helps sponsor.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Ben