Grace Church-Burlington

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Are you like me? I just love happy endings. I love to be able to chalk one up in the win column! That happened a few weeks ago at Grace. As you know, last Fall we launched a new ministry to single parents with children. If you’ve ever launched a new program, then you know that there are always a few bumps along the way and the inevitable learning curve. And even now, we still haven’t worked out all of the bugs but we come a long, long ways!

So let me say a "Big, Big Thank You!" First to Mike Wiemer who worked so diligently to think things through, plan and coordinate these dinners. Also, to our weekly host, Sandy Lincoln, who though she no longer has "kids," came out to warmly welcome folk and to make sure that they felt comfortable and cared for. To Andrea Baas who worked and reworked our invitations to make them more and more effective. To Sarah Leafblad who used her artistic gifts to help with artwork and design. To Mike Cote who had a program for the children each time and kept them occupied so that their parents could focus on the discussion upstairs. To Chris Livigni who is so passionate about both the Lord and people. We need to get a bus for Chris. God has used her to bring so many folk out to Grace Church. Then, to our speakers who gave of their time to invest in the lives of others: Dr. Mervin Langley, Attorney Amy Zott, Rick Hall, and Jackie Strelow. To Dr. David Taylor and Nancy Hodge from the Transitional Living Center for partnering with us in this ministry.

And then to each of you – many of you invited and invited and invited – even though you were turned down again and again. You started looking for single parents to invite. You developed a whole new awareness for ministry. You willingly made food for people you’d never met. You came in when it wasn’t convenient to set-up or serve or clean-up. And you prayed!!!!

Ministry is a lot of work. It’s rarely convenient and it is often sacrificial. To be candid, it’s usually easier to just give money and "pay" for someone else to minister than it is to give of yourself, of your time and your life. But there is truly nothing more fulfilling than serving the Lord by serving others. And it is an investment in eternity. Our Lord in Matthew 10:42 promises that sharing even a cup of cold water will be rewarded in eternity.

Like anyone else, every now and then I can find myself having the blues or a "poor me" day. Or, my selfish nature starts singing that old song, "Me, me, me...It’s all about me." And I foolishly think that the way to get out of this funk is to focus on me. I’ve found that never works. Quite the contrary, there is nothing that gets me out of the doldrums faster than ministering and serving others. Frequently, when I minister to those who are facing real issues, it gives me perspective on how minute some of my own situations are. It helps shake me back to reality. And realizing that I am not just serving others but that I am part of something bigger and far more extensive than my little world...that I am making a difference in eternity. I am investing in the Kingdom. That’s really what Christianity is all about. I have been given the greatest gift than can ever be given – eternal life at the cost of God’s own Son. What a joy it is to give a little bit back of myself to show my love, worship and adoration for my Heavenly Father by serving others.

So a huge thank you to all of you in our church family who were part of this new ministry to single parents and their children during this past year. We may never know what impact you had until we get Home. But it counted where it mattered...in the Kingdom. We started out with a dozen or so and we had thirty-six at our last dinner! It was one exciting evening! Thanks so much for your part and for being willing to take a risk with us!

And we’re already starting to plan for next year and how we can touch more lives, and serve even more faithfully! So stay tuned!!