Dear Friends,
By now you have probably heard me speak of the For Our Community day coming up on Saturday June 30th. I’ve talked a lot about the what and the how. What is it? How will it work? How do I sign up? You can get all those answers at www.forourcommunity.org. But today I would like to talk about the why. Why are we doing this event? Why am I so excited about it? Why does it matter?
There are at least 3 big reason why I am excited about this event. First, it is an opportunity to express the love of Jesus in our communities in a very tangible way. We are going to help, repair, beautify, improve and enhances schools, libraries, recreation areas, a fire department, a youth camp for under privileged kids, a ministry to the poor and homeless and more. In one day, through hundreds of volunteer service hours, we are going to make a genuine positive impact in our communities. That’s awesome!
The second reason I think this day is so important is because we will do it side by side with others. That will mean two things. It will be an opportunity for us to build relationships with other Rock Church members that we may not have previously known. It will also be an opportunity to work side by side with our unchurched neighbors. Building relationships with people who do not yet know Jesus is the first step in sharing our faith. Working side by side to “do good” in our community is a great way to break down the barriers that sometimes separate believers from those who have not yet come to know Jesus.
A third reason I think this For Our Community day matters is because it begins to change the narrative. Sadly, people outside the church often have a “less than positive” impression of who Christians are. In the media and in other ways, Christ followers are often portrayed as judgmental, self righteous and hypocritical. But the Christians I know are loving, kind, generous, caring people. When we love, serve and bless our community, I believe it helps people to see the church in a different light.
Join us Sunday as we continue our series Neighboring!
So those are some of reasons I believe you are going to want to be a part of this day. But let me give you one more “why.” It is going to be a blast! Sure, it will be work. But we will get work side by side with some great people. We will get to make some new friends. And after the work is done we are going to have a great party! You can pick your project and sign up right now at www.forourcommunity.org.
God Bless,
Pastor Steve
Speaking of For Our Community, on Saturday June 23 we will be participating in the Plaistow Old Home Day. we are looking for a few volunteers to take a shift in the booth greeting guests, giving away water, etc. If you can help, please email Pastor Jon.