Archive for the ‘Service to Others’ Category

Our Be Rich Opener

In case you missed it or just want to watch it again, here’s last Sunday’s opener from our Be Rich launch. There are still plenty of opportunities to Do More. Give More. at howtoberich.org. Join us!

Be Rich 2012 Opener from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Fill A Box For Operation Christmas Child

Hey Buckhead Church Attendees!

Thank you so much for your overwhelming response to our Operation Christmas Child launch on Sunday. We passed out all of the shoeboxes we ordered—over 3,000 boxes in one day! Last year, between our five Atlanta-area churches, we collected 11,500 shoeboxes to send to children all over the world. Our goal this year is 15,000—so every box counts!

Here are a few things to remember . . .

If you picked up a box on Sunday, make sure you follow these steps.

Choose boy or girl. Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl and the age category: 2–4, 5–9, or 10–14. Use the appropriate boy/girl label from your brochure (or print one at www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC). Mark the correct age category on the label and tape it to the top of your box.
Fill box with gifts. Make sure you follow the instructions for filling your box. For instance, school supplies—GREAT idea; liquids or lotions—bad idea. There is a list of what to pack and not to pack on the brochure attached to (or inside) your box. You can also find a list at www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC.
Include a $7 donation per box. Shipping boxes overseas is costly. Please include $7 inside each box to help cover shipping. You can write a check made out to Samaritan’s Purse with a note on the memo line that the donation is for Operation Christmas Child, or you can pay your shipping online at www.samaritanspurse.org. The cool thing about donating online is that you can actually track your box to see where it goes!
Drop off the filled box. Place a rubber band around each closed box and bring it back to the church on Sunday, November 11 or 18. November 18 is our last day to collect boxes, as we will take them to the OCC warehouse early Monday morning.

If you were unable to get a box on Sunday . . .

Use a shoebox of your own. You can use a standard-size shoebox, or, even better, purchase a plastic one with a lid that can be reused by the child.
Follow the steps above for filling your box.
Drop off your filled shoebox by Sunday, November 18!

Thanks so much for bringing Christmas and the message of the gospel to children all over the world!

The Be Rich Team ::: Buckhead Church

A Be Rich Story…3 Years Later

As we prepare to launch Be Rich 2012 this Sunday, November 11th, we wanted to share with you a cool story that started because of Be Rich 2009. We hope this will inspire you to submit your Be Rich story from this year’s campaign to stories@howtoberich.org.

Hey Buckhead Church,

I wanted to take a minute to share a story about how the 2009 Be Rich campaign is still impacting my life in a huge way. I moved to Atlanta in 2008 and began attending Buckhead Church. I desperately wanted to get plugged in to the Atlanta community. The fall 2009 Be Rich season literally changed my life.

My small group signed up to serve on a Saturday morning at Atlanta Mission’s My Sister’s House through the 2009 Be Rich site. I had no idea what was in store for my future and my relationship with the Lord . . . and with the homeless population of Atlanta as a result. We arrived bright and early, spooned out eggs and bacon to the women and children at the shelter, and my heart was captured. I remember watching a new mom who was grasping her newborn with one arm and looking scared while she ate with her other hand. I just wanted to help and love on these women.

As a result of that amazing morning, I signed up to be a weekly volunteer at My Sister’s House. For the past three years, I have helped with childcare for a brief stint and with Friday evening dinner (for weeks that turned into months that has now been 2+ years).

I originally thought that I needed to be generous with my time and give to others in the Atlanta community who were less fortunate. Truthfully, and cliché as it sounds, I have come to realize that the women and children of Atlanta Mission have so much more to share with me than I do with them. Their relationship with Jesus is so much deeper than I was used to seeing, and God is doing a mighty work through Atlanta Mission and the individuals the organization serves. I am honored to even be able to witness his glory there on a weekly basis. The women who are clients at My Sister’s House have become dear friends and have taught me more about life than I ever could have imagined.

I ended up joining the Advisory Board last year, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my talents and interests to help grow the development aspect of the organization. Pictured to the right is Atlanta Mission President Jim Reese, one of the My Sister’s House clients who has become a dear friend, and me at the Braves game last year when the Atlanta Mission choir sang the National Anthem.

My favorite part of the story is that my fiancé (Akash Patel, also a member of Buckhead Church) and I are getting married at Atlanta Mission’s The Potter’s House facility December 29 of this year! Our goal is to glorify God through our marriage, which includes our wedding. We are incredibly excited to be able to involve the men and women who have become close to our hearts through Atlanta Mission as part of our wedding day. It is going to be a great day of celebration that would not have happened if it weren’t for Be Rich.

Thank you so much for the work you do to make Be Rich a reality. I know it takes so much effort behind the scenes and that the goal is to serve those organizations and people in Atlanta who deserve it the most. But as a result, you are also changing the lives of those who are blessed with the opportunity to serve.

Katie

Be Rich Update: Atlanta Mission Bus

In case you missed it on Sunday, here’s another Be Rich update from YOUR generosity last year.

We are excited to launch Be Rich 2012 in just a few weeks! Check it out at howtoberich.org.

Small Group: A Story Of Serving Together

Our small group is made up of six couples that have all been married three years or less. And while we really enjoy our weekly community group, we also enjoy spending time together outside of the normal Wednesday night group meeting.

We decided early on that serving was important, so we try to volunteer or do some type of community service every few months. The Intersect Project through Buckhead Church has been a great resource for us.

A few weeks ago, we participated in Buckhead Christian Ministries (BCM) Community Service Day. Hundreds of volunteers met at Chastain Park and divided up to serve all over the Atlanta area. Part of our small group spread mulch at Piedmont Park. That seems like a simple job, but it takes a lot of muscle to spread ten huge piles of mulch around trees and benches!

We had fun bonding and working as a team; it was a great day all around. It’s always rewarding to give back to our community, no matter how you do it. To have that opportunity and to serve with people you are “doing life with” makes it that much more rewarding.

I would encourage all small groups to incorporate community service into their groups in some way. Whether it’s helping another small group member move, participating in Operation Christmas Child, or volunteering for Intersect projects, it brings people closer together and fosters huge growth within the group. We have made lifelong friends in our married small groups, and I think a large contributing factor is taking time out of the normal routine to have “socials,” take trips, and serve our city.

Heidi Van Gorder ::: Married Community Group Leader ::: Buckhead Church

Heidi and her husband, Chase, have been leaders of their married community group for almost one year.

For more information about how to sign up for a service project, please visit www.theintersectproject.org.