Faith City Serves
“This is my commandment, that you LOVE one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12
This is the motto for Wednesday night in Faith City Serves. Brooke and I feel passionate about teaching the children of Faith City about loving others and acts of service. We want them to grow a love of service, not just for their families and friends, but for their community and the world. To this end, we have taught the students about the Five Rings of Service; God, family and friends, church family, community, and the world. When we serve others, we are sharing God’s love and isn’t that what it’s all about?
In Faith City, we are focused on teaching our kids to follow Jesus and to strive to be more like him. Jesus was the ultimate servant, showing love to others in every part of his life and ultimately laying down his life for us. There is no better way to emulate Christ than to be a servant. There are so many opportunities throughout our days to serve others, in big ways and in small. When we consider how Christ treated his fellow humans, it becomes easier to recognize these chances for service and to take advantage of them. We hope that Faith City Serves will help give our kids a hunger for service, so they are always looking for these opportunities.
God gave each of us unique skills and talents that we can use to serve others. God didn’t intend for us to live in isolation, we were created to be part of a community and we were lovingly crafted to be many parts of one whole. When we use our God-given talents in service to one another, we reveal God’s loving plan for creation. This world can be so dark sometimes and we can shine the bright light of God’s love to illuminate that darkness.
We have already been able to do so many acts of service in Faith City Serves. We have made gifts for teachers and friends, put together blessing bags for the homeless and families at Ronald McDonald House, made cards for veterans at the Bay Pines VA Hospital, painted rocks with inspirational messages to leave in our neighborhoods and communities, and even made prayer boxes to remind us to pray for others. Soon we’ll be creating goodie bags for our shut-ins. But, we don’t want to serve alone, we can’t wait to involve our whole congregation! Our plan is to have intergenerational service projects, such as a church vegetable garden, beach cleanups, and making blessing bags together.
We want to partner with our Faith City families to provide ways for you to serve as a family. Don’t be surprised if your kids come home with items to share with others. Talk with them about the joy of service and how important it is for us to love others and to show that love every day. Together, we can help to create a future filled with helpers who are fiercely dedicated to living a life characterized by acts of service. We have to empower our children and let them know how much of a difference they can make in the world when they share God’s love.
Faith City Serves is just the beginning. Let’s all work together to make sure Northwest has a true heart for service!