It really is amazing to see the body of Christ at work. Armed with the Gospel and the commission to feed the hungry, water the thirsty, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner, the people of God are empowered to be light in a dark and broken world.
The fact that church congregations are spread over most of the globe makes collaboration possible. When tragedy strikes, it’s partnerships with small, local churches that many big ministries rely on to get effective work done.
This week, we look at a small sampling of examples in hopes it will honor and inspire churches that even small congregations can have a big impact on their local communities.
Luke’s House (Photo via UM News)
A collaboration of United Methodist churches in New Orleans started a free clinic almost 20 years ago to provide medical care to the underinsured. As the clinic, known as “Luke’s House,” was set to open, it had only one doctor prepared to volunteer. Exam rooms were separated by makeshift walls built from PVC pipes and sheets. Exam tables were actually massage tables. Now, the clinic operates two evenings a week and has grown to include volunteers from 30 different medical professions, including psychiatry and ophthalmology. It’s also a teaching clinic, so medical residents gain experience while community residents get care they wouldn’t normally be able to afford.
AG Texas
A tiny First Assembly of God church in Texas with a congregation comprised mostly of senior adults became the main source of food and water for a small San Saba community after back-to-back floods hit the area in July. Convoy of Hope and other humanitarian aid organizations used the church as a distribution site, and church members helped unload more than four trailers filled with nearly 80 tons of food and water, diapers, hygiene items, and clothes and distribute them to people impacted by the historic flooding. The team put together boxes of supplies, packed them into people’s cars, and prayed with them.
Inspire Church (Photo via AG News)
Inspire Church in Lake Havasu, Arizona, is known by the community as the “golf ball church” because of the building’s 1970s design of three geodesic domes—and the church is putting its conspicuous 30,000-square-foot facilities to good use. When the church doesn’t have worship services, it rents its facilities to a variety of community uses, including pickleball, an addiction recovery group, and two Christian charter schools.
Indonesia NCM
On the same day Indonesia celebrated its 80th anniversary of independence—August 17—a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s Poso region. Nazarene churches throughout the Sulawesi District collaborated with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to extend aid to the affected communities. Members of the nearby churches (who were not harmed by the quake) collected eggs, rice, sugar, coffee and medicine, and a small team traveled 5-6 hours to deliver the materials to earthquake victims, some of whom were still living in tents for fear of returning home.
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