ARC Family…
One project we are currently working on in the Outreach department is to explore the possibility of partnering with other churches and non-profits in the community to open a community outreach center. The source of this vision was God’s prompting to a few different individuals connected with our church. Each of these people felt a deep burden regarding unmet needs in our community and wondered how we might better serve those in difficult circumstances. More and more we are seeing people, especially young families with children and seniors on fixed incomes, who are not able to “make it” due to financial or other personal issues, and though each story is unique and challenging, these scenarios provide great opportunities to share the love of Christ in life-changing ways.
In Matthew 25 Jesus used the parable of the sheep and goats to illustrate the judgment at the end of times…
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
On June 30 we hosted an informational meeting regarding the Community Outreach Center concept. Invited to the meeting were representatives from all churches and non-profits in town as well as the general public. The meeting was held at the former Dollar Store/Grocery Store across the street to the East from Napa Auto Parts, one such building that could possibly fit the mold of what we were discussing. The ARC Youth Band kicked off the meeting with a few songs.
After that we began to identify the general unmet or under-met needs in Rock County and then progressed to a discussion of whether a large community center could help to meet more needs and create better collaboration among existing entities. It was good to hear various perspectives on these issues and questions, and there was a sense that if all churches, non-profits, and other organizations could better work together we could do great things. In the end we decided to continue gathering information about what services are currently offered in the community and create a survey for people accessing such services to allow them to have a voice in the process. We will meet again this Fall to continue this process of learning how to better outreach to “the least of these,” which may or may not involve opening an outreach center in Luverne. Please pray for this process, and your suggestions and feedback are welcome.
Cory Grimm