Meeting together regularly is an important part of the process. But you can bring lasting impact to your community by serving together. As you serve your community together, you will present a tangible example of what love and healing look like.
Act
Part 1 - Servant Leadership (Pastors and Leaders)
At least once a year, the leaders participating in The Table should serve together to put the love of Christ on display in a tangible way.
Our Recommendations:
Make it an annual event.
We recommend tying this act of service to an annual marker or event, such as providing meals for families at Thanksgiving or providing breakfast and coffee for teachers ahead of Christmas break.
Partner with those you know the least.
As we often see in our churches, serving together is an effective way to bring people together. Serving together reduces natural barriers to communication and allows relationships to develop more freely.
Keep the gospel central.
As Dr. Evans often reminds us, Christians are not called to do “good deeds” but “good works” (Matt. 5:16). These acts of service are done in Jesus’ name. Use them to create opportunities to share the gospel.
Have fun!
Enjoy the opportunity to pause from the busyness of life to serve and bless others. God is using your efforts to bring glory to his name!
Act
Part 2 - Serving Together (Congregations and Groups)
At least once a year, coordinate opportunities for the congregations you represent to serve alongside one another to meet specific needs in your community.
Our Recommendations:
Build off the success of The Gathering.
Invite those from The Gathering, as well as others from your congregations, to take part in these opportunities to serve.
Make it easy.
There are countless ways to serve in almost any community. We recommend starting small with simple projects like cleaning up a local park, removing trash from the roadways, or beautifying a local school.
There is so much freedom to get creative; just be sure to identify opportunities where anyone can join in to serve.
Mix up the volunteers.
No one likes getting out of their comfort zone. In this case, focus on both what you are doing and who you are doing it with.
Diverse groups of Christians serving their communities together provides a visible demonstration of the unity of the body of Christ and further erode racial barriers that exist in your community.
Remember the foundation.
As you serve together, be sure to remind those serving that all of their efforts are about bringing glory to God by making the healing power of the gospel visible for the neighbors to see.
Celebrate what God has done!
Enlisting a group of Christians from different churches and traditions to serve together in your community is no small feat. Be sure to celebrate the work God has done in your community to allow it all to happen.
