Two of the things I love that are happening through our church are:

1.) A ministry to women who work as exotic dancers.  Women from our church and a few others visit the clubs, sometimes just to sit and chat, and other times with a gift & gospel message.  As we get to know the women, we help them in practical ways (child care, job interviews, help moving).  We try to be the face of Christ in a dark place.

2.) We have reached out to a Muslim people group in western Sahara for the past 9 years.  We started by running childrens’ camps there, and taking students into homes here during their hot summers (as an academic reward).  Now we’ve built an English center, and are starting a garden project with them.

I love getting to be part of Christ’s work locally and globally.

i left my contribution here in the comments rather than blog it for a couple of reasons…

1) it seemed too much like bragging when i tried to compose it as a blog post

b) quite frankly, considering the recent traffic at my own blog, i’m pretty certain it’ll get more views here on yours

I don’t think “true ministry” is either/or: Either it’s planned, ongoing, church-based, etc OR it’s spontaneous, individual-based, etc.  It’s both/and.  Both can be “Holy Spirit prompted” right?

You described spontaneous ministry (also known as being an observant compassionate human being) beautifully.  Thanks for stopping by.

Too often we think ministry has to be formal, planned and ongoing – be at the same place, at the same time, on the same day every other week for the same amount of minutes.  There!  I’ve done my ministry for the month.

On the contrary, true ministry moves and breathes and changes as the needs around you present themselves.

Does a student in your class mention that only her younger sister got Christmas presents last year because someone sponsored her?  MINISTRY:  Anonymously provide Christmas for her family of 6 complete with gifts, tree and dinner in their cultural style.

Did you overhear a co-worker lament the fact that she had no money to buy the shoes her toddler so badly needed?  MINISTRY:  Anonymously give her a gift card signed, “ I saw your little girl needed shoes.  Love, Jesus”.

Does your school often clothe students who have little or no clothing?  Is their supply low?  Is Mervyn’s going out of business?  MINISTRY:  Anonymously purchase bags and bags of clothes on the cheap and donate them to the school.  The joy you will receive when you see a child who has soiled himself wearing the new clothes is indescribable.

Is there a 10 year old little girl in your class who is in foster care and has been in 5 different placements in 5 months?  MINISTRY:  In some way, become a constant in her life and mentor her – maybe even go so far as to foster her and love her like your own.

None of these opportunities to be Jesus are church based.  They are Holy Spirit prompted in the moment.

Opportunity for ministry is everywhere if we choose to look and be used.

I’m really loving all these ideas.  Any way we could keep this going?  Would you consider a weekly post along the lines of “Works For Me Wednesdays?”

Only this one could be called “Ministry Mondays” and everyone could share their ideas for practical ways to minister to the community.  I’d do it but nobody reads my blog.  You already have a good following.  Just a thought.

There are ways to change church, but I think my key is to remember I’m the church and so are you.  It’s up to us not a pastor led group of visionary.  Maybe God’s given you the vision. 

Foster care is tough stuff.  It takes putting your heart on the line—constantly.  It’s being in the trenches day in and day out.  It’s not a two week adventure, it’s a lifetime commitment. 

I work with group that advocats for children CASA (Court appointed special advocates) and we work closely with foster parents.  We NEED more foster parents—desperately. Have you ever thought about what happens when a child is removed from the home for abuse and there’s no place to put him?

In some states he’ll go to a homeless shelter.  How sad that we remove this child for neglect and we turn around and place him in a homeless shelter.

Maybe you’re not called to be a foster parent or a CASA but please, whatever you do, don’t say this:

“I just couldn’t do that. I’d never want to give the kids back and it would break my heart.” These kids have broken hearts and broken homes. 

My dream is to one day have a national project that attaches teens aging out of the foster care system and connecting them to a local church.  The local church would serve as an extended family and help this teen get a decent start in life. 

That’s my dream and while I’m dreaming I’ll continue to work on advocating for the children in our program. 

While you’re waiting on your project / program to begin consider making a difference to a child through:

compassion

foster care

CASA

or however you’re led to do so, just do SOMETHING!

Think about it.  These are children who are in desperate, desperate need for stability and love. 

I posted earlier about the need to reach out to the children in foster care.  There is no national project/program for teens aging out of foster care, but there are ways you can make a difference.  Ways that are working:

*Consider foster parent training

*Consider becoming a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) training (this is the organization I work with)

Not every person is called to this ministry, but there are ways you can help these children.  And please DO NOT tell me that you just can’t do this because it would break your heart.  Guess what, these children have broken hearts and broken lives.

As for that nation-wide program to help teens aging out of foster care—that’s a dream I have for these children.  Every single child deserves a family—a family who loves and cares for them.  Most of the time that’s the natural or adoptive family.  The church has to step in when those families fail.  We, the church, have a responsibility to our children. 

That’s my dream, that the church become the extended family for teens aging out of foster care. 

It’s a work in progress and one that is still a dream on paper, but I serve a mighty God and I know that He will do it if it’s in His will.

Until then, I’ll keep shouting the need from the rooftops and working with the foster children in my little peice of the world.

I grew up in the suburbs, I now live/work in the suburbs…the first time i saw a homeless person was outside the public library in my suburb, the police were called and 10 came lights blaring, my friends and I stopped our bikes and watched as they threw him off the public library land…I wonder how that formed my views of the homeless?

But no I don’t drive by homeless people, or see them. And I am trying to channel Joe and Jane American (which sadly includes me) of whom service is not even on their radar screen, and the only time they are exposed to an opportunity to serve or to poverty is a “sally struthers” infomercial, trying to bilk them out of “their” money.

Do you pull a rope? Push it? Throw water on it and freeze it? Turn it into a snake? A rope is not mean to move. If we as Christians are called to love God and others and we don’t do it…well thats kinda harsh and assumes a definition of love…good discussion!