Archive for the ‘Service to Others’ Category
Be Rich: Operation Christmas Child Update
As we celebrate all that God has done through Be Rich this year, I wanted to make sure you received an update on our Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection. Each year we ask families to fill shoeboxes with gifts and toys to send to children in need all over the world. I love that we ask children in our church to give to children their same ages. What an opportunity to teach our children about generosity! Last year, all of our campuses packed over 8,700 shoeboxes. Our goal was to beat that number this year. And because of your generosity, we did. This year, we collected 10,331 shoeboxes and 1,800 of those came from Buckhead Church.
Thank you to every family that grabbed a shoebox, took their kids to the store, collected items to bring to the packing party in Transit, and made it a priority to have a family night using the KidStuf Takeout. While it can be difficult to keep kids focused on what this season is REALLY is all about, your generosity proves that many of you are helping your kids understand that because God gave his Son to us, we are to give generously to those in need. Way to go Buckhead families! Looking forward to what God has in store in 2012.
Emily Meredith ::: Children’s Ministry Director ::: Buckhead Church
Be Rich Celebration
Hey Buckhead Church!
In case you missed our big celebration of Be Rich this Sunday, you can check it out below.
Be Rich 2011 Celebration from North Point Media on Vimeo.
All of the thank you’s in the video belong to you. Thank you, Buckhead Church, for your impact on our city and our world.
So incredibly humbled by your generosity,
Billy
Serving As A Way of Life
As we come to the close of Be Rich, there is so much to celebrate. What an incredible opportunity we have had to do more and give more for the community we live in. Now comes reflection on what we have experienced during this season.
As I started reflecting, I had this thought: So much of my life involves checking off the things I need to do. I wouldn’t say I am much of a write it down and create the full A1, A2, B1, B2 system I have seen, but I can’t make it through my day without checking off the things I’ve done. And the reality for me is that this touches every area and relationship in my life (work, marriage, family, friends). Without knowing it, I can easily become a “to doer.” I wonder if I’m the only one that feels like this, but my hunch is that I’m not. At least I hope I’m not.
We all know that we are more inclined to serve those who have more pressing or bigger needs than we do during the holiday season, but is serving others just another “to do” item on our lists?
Of course my initial reaction is to say, “No way. I do this all throughout the year.” But, the more honest I am with myself, I begin to change my answer to, “If I just had more time, then I could have done more. “
We start each year intending to find more opportunities to serve others, but it just seems to get pushed to the back burner because we get into our routines and schedules. This is how it was for me for so many years. But a couple of years ago something changed. I found another way of looking at service. It changed everything for me. And I found it in one of the stories about Jesus I had heard so many times growing up. It was this idea:
What if service isn’t something we do, but who we are?
I had been taught that we are to serve others, but it had never really clicked like it did on that day when I was reading John 13:12–17. Jesus just finished washing all of his disciples’ feet and then he says, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15 NIV). There it was, clear as day—serving wasn’t an item on my list that I checked off; it was the essence of who Jesus was and is and who he is calling me to be. The more I dove into Scripture, the more I found this principle in the Old Testament with prophets like Amos, Micah, and Malachi (all books I am sure we have spent hours in!). It is all over the Gospels with the way Jesus lived while on earth. The prophets and Jesus let us know that serving is the visible sign of the Holy Spirit working on the inside of us.
This has been such a huge shift for me, because now instead of just going to serve, I look at every interaction God brings into my life as an opportunity to serve. I do not have to calendar it or check it off because opportunities present themselves—like mowing my neighbor’s yard, making a meal for a couple who just had their first baby, changing a stranger’s flat tire, or buying someone a meal. Yes, some needs are physical that I can meet, but there are also emotional and spiritual needs. The great thing about this shift of perspective is that now I have so many more opportunities to serve, and I can still engage with bigger needs when they arise, like Be Rich.
So as we wind down 2011 and begin planning for 2012, the question I would encourage us all to wrestle with is simply this:
Is serving who I am or something I do?
Let’s make it who we are so the people in Buckhead and even Atlanta can come to know who Jesus is because of what he is doing in us.
Ryan Van Sickle ::: Married Groups Director ::: Buckhead Church
Being Rich By Being A Friend
In April 2010, I finally called Woodson Elementary to inquire about being a mentor. I had been praying about it for months and feeling like it was an area of service God was calling me to, but I took my time deciding to make the call. I absolutely adore children, so I knew I would enjoy myself, but I was afraid I didn’t have enough time or enough right answers to mentor a child. I also wanted to help in a number of areas and was having trouble committing to just a few. I had a case of ministry “optionitis,” which led to procrastination.
Once I made the call, Woodson Elementary quickly paired me with a precious nine-year-old. We took our time getting to know each other, as she was a little bashful at first. Once she realized she wasn’t paired with a mentor because she was “bad,” but because someone wanted to be her friend, she really opened up. I realized that I didn’t need to have the right answers because she did most of the talking, and that I had more than enough time to spend with her because even meeting once a month has a lasting effect.
We spend a couple of hours together twice a month, either in school or out in the community. She loves to spend afternoons in the park, go to different restaurants, shadow different professions (depending on what she wants to be that month), serve at the humane society, go to church, read, play outside, roller skate, and go to the movies. The list goes on and on. Thankfully, she is as satisfied sitting and talking at the library or doing schoolwork at Barnes & Noble as she is going to a 3D movie or to a summer festival. What she loves most is that she has a friend that wants to learn about her and hear about her life.
I am very thankful for the opportunity to mentor her and for a church that decided to pay attention to the needs of many at-risk children just a few miles down the road from us. I have a lot of hopes for her, and I pray that as a result of our time together and the Lord working in her heart, that she will know how valuable she is, how much the Lord loves her, and that she will see a big, bright, limitless future ahead.
Nicole ::: Woodson Elementary Mentor ::: Buckhead Church
Be Rich: A Perspective On Poverty
Did you know that nearly 1.6 million Georgians live in poverty, and over 19% of Georgia’s children do not have enough food to eat on a daily basis? It can be hard to know what to do with statistics like these. Perhaps it brings to mind the faces you imagine to be behind the numbers—like the guy holding a sign on the interstate ramp. Those images break our hearts, and rightly so. But some of our neighbors are living in poverty and we wouldn’t necessarily know it: your child’s bus driver, the bank teller, the airline attendant, or the person bagging your groceries.
If one of these people is struggling in poverty already, what happens when they loose their job, or have to stay home from work with a sick child, or when precious work hours are cut? All of a sudden, a life that was already hard becomes a crisis. Buckhead Christian Ministry (BCM) meets the immediate needs of people like this every day by providing food, clothing, and assistance with rent and utilities. This help works to fill the gap and prevent a continuing problem that could turn into homelessness. For our neighbors seeking long-term change, we also offer a Transitional Housing program for homeless families, and The 70/30 Project, which couples money management courses with a plan to help families retire debt and find financial stability.
Still, at the end of the day, serving is about so much more than programs and statistics—it is about caring about people and their stories. It is about realizing that even in the middle of great hardship and personal disaster, there is hope. We might not always get to see how things turn out, but when we do hear success stories, we rejoice that God is in the business of turning brokenness into victory. And for those who are still in the midst of their struggle, we can share that there is hope; we have seen it! Buckhead Church’s support plays a large role in administering that hope through an encouraging word, a smile, donations of food, or financial help when it is needed most. Those things could be the spark that someone needs to realize that God can do something wonderful even in the middle of their hard times. Here are some stories we can celebrate as we have faith for others who come through BCM’s doors.
When Erin lost her job, she had no one to turn for help. At just 22 years old, she is the most financially secure member of her family. She sought rent assistance from BCM and later enrolled in The 70/30 Project. Though she is young, Erin has proven herself to be one of the most eager students in the history of the program; she is very motivated to provide a stable home for her 2-year-old son. After only three months, Erin has eliminated all debt but her student loans, and she is becoming the good financial role model that she never had.
Steve is a truck driver with 20 years of experience, but he was laid off from his job last spring. Steve, the single father of a 9-year-old girl, takes satisfaction in providing for his family, but when he was laid off, he struggled financially. He found help at BCM, where he received groceries and clothing for himself and his daughter. A few months later, Steve returned to BCM, this time with good news: He had found full-time employment! Steve’s hard work has paid off – today, he is able to provide a happy, stable home life for his child.
Thank you, Buckhead Church, for all you do to support our struggling neighbors through the Intersect Project and through Be Rich. We are grateful to be recipients of this year’s Be Rich Food Drive at Buckhead Church on Sunday, November 27. Look for details in the bulletin this Sunday or visit www.howtoberich.org.
Jessie L. Modlin ::: Volunteer and Church Relations Coordinator ::: Buckhead Christian Ministry
