A few weeks ago our pastor's wife made a list, at our small group's request, of projects that needed to be done around her house. Her husband was due home from a fourteen-month deployment in Iraq where he served as Chaplain of the 141st Combat Engineers of the North Dakota National Guard. As a small group, we perused the list, gathered some expertise from within the group and outside the group, purchased some supplies, baked monster cookies, and collectively decided on an evening to meet at the pastor's home. In just a few hours, we had repaired a closet door, repaired and tiled a large window seat, fixed a doorbell, stopped a drip in a bathroom faucet, shampooed the upstairs carpets, and enjoyed monster cookies, laughter, and prayer together. The family was excited to have the needed projects completed and our pastor had a little more time to reunite with his family when he returned.
Just yesterday, another family in our congregation was brought to our attention as being in need of some home repairs and spiritual support. The mom is suffering from severe migraine headaches, and the dad is approaching the 20th anniversary of a head injury that left him with the abilities of a young child. Between work and occasional trips to the hospital to seek relief from a migraine, the mom has witnessed her home fall into disrepair and her four children suffer from the effects. Our group has accomplished some small tasks for this weary family and is currently creating a bigger "to do" list that will help meet more physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
Situations such as these are not unique to my church. My guess is that there are similar needs within your own congregation. In our effort to reach out to others in the community, we cannot forget to continue reaching in.
This month, spend some time in your small group meeting making a list of needs within your church. Do not forget the families of those who are deployed, those who are struggling with illnesses or finances, and the elderly. Elect a person to make contact with a family or person in need of some repairs, heavy lifting, or other needs around their home and catalogue those needs. Once the person or family in need has agreed to the help, meet again as a small group to make a list of needed tools and materials, decide who will bring refreshments, and select a date to perform the needed assistance. Once at the home of those who need your help, begin with prayer for the people and their needs, as well as the protection of those who are doing the work. Take a break to do a barrier breaker and share refreshments. If all the work cannot be completed in one visit, make plans to come again. If the person or family you are helping is not currently in a small group, make sure to invite them to yours or another group that might better suit their needs.
