This past Sunday morning, instead of our typical worship experience, we gathered at Legacy Church to be reminded of what the church is and pray before we went to serve in our community.Before we left, I told them we did this for four reasons:
Our presence in public places during the time when most people are either in church buildings or with no thought of being in one was a picture of the church scattered. Our presence alone was a witness to God and His people.
Our partnership with the City of Plano and the Gulledge Elementary PTA said we are sent servants to our community to meet needs bigger than anyone alone can meet. I reminded everyone we partner with many other ministries and organizations to carry out our mission.
Our actions on Sunday were the outward practice of our core values of Worship and Service. If "worship is a lifestyle," we will risk one Sunday worship experience to practice what it looks like to serve as an act of worship. Picking up trash in a park and restoring a school courtyard are acts of worship that were not user friendly or cool.
Finally, prayer for our city and for courage to speak to those who we would meet about Jesus were the only things that would make an eternal difference in what we would do. Without the witness of Jesus and the power of His Spirit, our labor would be no different than any other civic organization.We then prayed in groups and went out to Arbor Hill Nature Preserve and the elementary school down the street to serve.
We have had 17 consecutive days 1oo or over, and Sunday was one of them. This kept some folks with health issues and small children indoors and limited the number of people actually in the park when we got there. This also made the labor in the courtyard very challenging, but no one complained (though many asked about doing this in the fall next time), and we trust God to use our example, effort, and witness to bring honor to Him.
I am honored to be the Pastor of a group of people who so willingly gave up the comfort of their Sunday morning routine to sweat and serve others in the name of Jesus. I know our Leader is also pleased.