This past Sunday was another 5th Sunday. For our local church this meant a change in our schedule. On the months of the year with five Sundays our church takes the 5th Sunday and reaches out to our local community through outreach/service projects. This 5th Sunday saw four projects on the schedule: (1) yard work at the home of a local elderly couple, (2) visiting at a local nursing home, (3) a litter pluck on a local roadside and (4) a free car wash at a local strip-mall.
Since we began participating in 5th Sunday our schedule has changed slightly. Our schedule for this day now revolves around two words: Gather and Scatter. We gather together, combining two Sunday morning gatherings into one. Following this we then share a lunch together. After lunch we then scatter outside to serve our neighbor.
The stories that came out of this day were amazing. I received a phone call from the elderly couple and they were so pleased with the "army" of people who came out and served them. They were really touched by the outreach. Also, the crew picking up litter had numerous people ask them who they were and why they were picking up trash. I went to the car wash with my wife and two little girls and we had an amazing experience. I was shocked by the reactions of the people coming through our car wash. They couldn't believe it was free. Here are some of the responses we received: "Free! Nothing is Free." "What do you mean its free? What's the catch?" "Why are you doing this for free?" "Free! (Mouth hanging open) Excuse me, I don't think my mouth will close until I get home." There were many opportunities to tell people why we were doing it for free. One man, while he was waiting his turn in line, just opened up the floodgates. He told me how he lost his wife a year ago, his son is addicted to drugs, he was really struggling. Simply connecting with this man over a free car wash helped to lift his spirits, even if only a little. We also handed out extra copies of Light & Life Magazine to those who came.
Here's my little Ana participating. We encourage families to serve together on 5th Sunday.
Here's our "advertising" crew.
The next 5th Sunday is at the end of July. I look forward to gathering and scattering once again on that day.
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