Shaun Groves
A few days ago I wrote about a pastor in Kolkata, India whose church building and resources are used all week long to help the community around it. He told me why: ”Our witness is our service.”
In the comments of that post there were lots of attaboys for the work of local churches partnering with Compassion International in the developing world. The consensus among readers seems to be that churches in America ought to be doing more stuff like that too: meeting the physical and spiritual needs of people all week long, holding nothing back.
Forget about the professional minister types and the big buildings they work in for a minute though.
What about you and me? What’s our witness?
So here’s the challenge.
- First, think. Think long and hard about your workplace, your neighbors, neighborhood, city. What are the needs around you, where you are right now today?
- Second, dream. If no one would think you were nuts… If you held nothing back… If you were brave and full of compassion… What could YOU do to meet those needs? What could your service be?
- Third, write about it. Put your answer down in words. Post it if you have a blog.
- Fourth, share your answer with us. E-mail me. Message me on Facebook. Leave your answer or a link to a blog post about it here in the comments of this post. Or twitter it – use hashtag #MyWitness if you do so I can find it.
On Wednesday I’ll compile all of our ideas into one post, linking to every one of them, and move this conversation forward from there.
It’s easy to cheer the workers on. It’s another thing altogether to join in the work. This is a start.
Let’s not love with mere words, but with action…
Thanks in advance for the inspiration.
Sherry says:
I am a preschool minister and about 4 months ago our ministry staff felt burdened to act on this very thing in our community. As a church staff we have been identifying ways that we can help in our community other than just on site and for the short term. In other words life change. We are also empowering our congregation to do the same and not just wait on the “professionals”. An example of this is a group of our students are taking soccer camps into one of our lowest income neighborhoods for the summer. They want to teach soccer skills but they also want to help keep these kiddoes out of trouble since they are left alone all day during the summer months. They will also make sure they get at least one good meal a day. This still isn’t anywhere close to what they are doing in Kolkata but we are taking baby steps in that direction. Thanks for the challenge..will continue to work towards change……..
melody says:
A local church has an “Under the Bridge Ministry”. Every Saturday they feed the city’s homeless literally beneath a downtown bridge overpass.
Many of the homeless find hope, help and make the move to finding Christ, jobs and homes. There is a brief contemporary service with lots of music, but it is the genuine conversation full of sincere desire to connect and help the homeless that resonates with them.
It is a success because of the genuine love and call to service with which these church members live.
Melody says:
This will take some thought. Not an easy thing you ask…
Lindsay @ Not2Us says:
This post really shocked me. I’ve been thinking about this very thing for quite some time. I just haven’t had the courage to put it out there. Your words gave me the Godly shove I needed!
I think this could be one of the greatest way for me to impact the people around me:
http://www.not2us.net/blog/lindsay/2009/may/wecouldwecan
dean says:
shaun… i think the only place we can start to look at this in regards to the church is to look at ourselves first, since we ARE the church. i’ve been badgering my sunday school teacher all week about discussing this, and so hopefully, maybe, i can hijack the discussion tomorrow and have something to post by wednesday.
i’ve been reading and re-reading the comment by dan from the “our witness” post, where he says “service being our witness is not enough,” and that there are many who don’t understand what “Jesus is Lord” means. i believe the issue boils down to the fact that if we really did understand what “Jesus is Lord” was all about, it would manifest itself in our service to others.
those are just abstract generalities though… i hope to come away from some discussions i plan to have tomorrow with more concrete stuff.
on a more personal note… 70% of my week is spent doing emergency residential child care, and i’m trying to figure out what to do with at least part of the remaining 30% of my week without getting burned out… or divorced.
Shaun Groves says:
Dean, I don’t know, but could it be that unlike a lot of us you’re work is almost entirely service? Most folks have to find time outside of work to meet physical and spiritual needs or figure out how to incorporate need meeting into their work somehow. But it sounds like your job IS meeting needs. Like I said, I don’t know. But it just occurred to me that you might already be doing all you can and more than the rest of us. And thanks for doing it.
dean says:
shaun…
you’re correct in that my (well, our… my wife and i do this ministry together) work is mostly service. but there’s something about the fact that we get paid to do it that leaves me yearning for more. i certainly don’t want it to boil down to a performance driven – or even worse – a guilt driven faith, but as i look around me and see so many needs beyond what we are capable of meeting already, i want to explore more avenues. there’s certainly a fine line i’m treading there!
wasn’t able to hijack our discussion in bible study this morning, but i have a few things kicking around that i hope to be able to post by wednesday.
btw, thanks for the free download gift for following on twitter, and thanks for following me. don’t have a gift for you, although me NOT sending you any of my musical efforts is probably the best gift i could give you
Happy Geek says:
Excellent challenge. I needed that.
I blogged my response.
http://nomoredegrees.blogspot.com/2009/05/witness-challenge.html
ginger says:
I am no longer able to attend this church but still think this is an awesome ministry that deserves a shout out.
http://www.sandwichmission.org/
There is also a video here
http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b84cc6e1be213cf61695
dean says:
here’s what i got (so far). our church is across the street from a college, and at one time had a laundry ministry to the students. there is a room in the family life center that has 3 washers and dryers. last fall, i attempted to resurrect the college ministry (this is an aging church, and it’s a sad crying shame that we’re the closest church in the city to the campus, and have virtually NO ministry to the students). that attempt never flew, but i’m thinking there are people in the neighborhood that could benefit from free laundry once a week.
i’d heard it said that the reason they stopped the laundry ministry was because more people from the neighborhood were coming than were students. well, so what? meet the need, don’t wish for a perceived need that isn’t really there!
so my aim is to open that laundry one night a week for WHOEVER has need of it. free wash & dry, free detergent… i’ll fold the stuff if that’s what it takes.
rut ro, better hope the wife doesn’t see that..
Amy Savage says:
I love this idea to get us engaged in what WE can do. After all, we are the church, right? This stuff shouldn’t just be happening on Sundays. It’s time to expand our thinking and vision!
So, in light of that…here are some things that I can do:
1) I will spend less $ on coffee, Target runs, movies, eating out each month and put that money aside and pray about what I should do with it. Will it go to my neighbor who is unemployed? Maybe to buy a goat for a family in Africa? The person from work who needs a car repair and can’t pay for it?
2) Our church has a list of families who have immediate needs for groceries etc. While we take them groceries once a month, I think more should be done. What if my family became FRIENDS (yes, scandalous I know!) with one of these families. Had them for dinner, helped buy school supplies for the kids, watched the kids so the parent(s) could work. A relationship seems in order here. Anybody can do that, right??
3) My passion is orphan care. My vision is to see every church in Cincinnati where I live “adopting” (i.e. sponsoring) an entire orphanage in a third world country. I think sometimes the church just needs someone to provide them with an opportunity to get involved. For me, I’ve found that through Children’s Hope Chest – http://www.hopechest.org. My commitment is to start making connections with churches and SPEAK about our call to love the least of these.
Can’t wait to see all these ideas compiled. Thanks, Shaun for motivating us to quit talking and do something. What a novel idea.
Amy
Worshipfan says:
Dude…thanks alot. It’s taken me 3 weeks to pull myself together from the India Blogger Trip and then you throw this out there!
Seriously Shaun, I’ve been struggling with this stuff off and on for the last year. On my good days I’ll actually try to imagine what I can do to make more room in my life for the Kingdom to advance. On my bad days? I’m seriously tempted to quit my job and sell everything I own.
Do you know what I hate? I hate the fact that My husband and I are working jobs that are not doing anything to really meet the needs of people becuase we have to pay the bills. We have to pay for the student loans and the car and the debt that we accumulated when we were too young and stupid to know better. I hate feeling trapped.
We moved here almost 2 years ago with a vision to plant a church that gives hands and feet to the vision that is in us…and that dream is still lying dormant because we have to put food on the table and pay the bills. I imagine all the time what it would be like to quit my job and just spend my time loving and serving and touching people….but quiting isn’t an option right now.
I’m still wrestling with how to answer your question…but I know God made me to do so much more than I’m doing now. And for what it’s worth? Compassion and child sponsorship has gripped my heart so strongly in the past year that I can’t imagine that not being a significant part of what I do in the future. Thanks for that…it’s seriously a direct result of what you guys are doing with the Compassion Bloggers.
Kacie says:
Shaun, great question.
I’ve come to believe very strongly that if we truly care for the nations, then we will recognize that they are also here, at our doorstep, in the form of refugees, international students, and immigrants. We are called to love and care for them, because they are the modern day equivalent of the alien and the stranger that God commanded his people to love.
10 minutes away from the swankiest mall in Dallas is a massive refugee community living in cheap housing. Thousands of them, and growing by the month. They come from Iraq, Nepal, Burma, and many other places. Most of them have been waiting for YEARS in camps. They are lonely, many can’t speak English, and finances are scary.
I am a sponsor for a refugee family, and over the past year have seen them grow in their independance, and get through deep homesickness and hopelessness. I’ve helped them read their mail, apply for food stamps, go to doctors appointments, and just do some fun things around the city. It has been SUCH an awesome thing to walk alongside them, and for me it is a taste of home (I am a missionary kid). I’m really convicted that these people are ALREADY here, and the church MUST come to them with the love of Christ to meet their physical and spiritual needs.
misty says:
A local church has an “Under the Bridge Ministry”. Every Saturday they feed the city’s homeless literally beneath a downtown bridge overpass.
Many of the homeless find hope, help and make the move to finding Christ, jobs and homes. There is a brief contemporary service with lots of music, but it is the genuine conversation full of sincere desire to connect and help the homeless that resonates with them.
It is a success because of the genuine love and call to service with which these church members live.
**My husband and I have read about this church and this ministry online. HOw awesome to be involved in this!
misty says:
http://www.thailandoct2008.blogspot.com I have posted about your blog there.
Sarah says:
So, I’m a medical student, and I struggle with this–with my life being my witness–because healthcare in this country is a mess and there are a lot of politics involved. It’s just not the compassionate field it used to be.
If I wasn’t restricted by insurance companies and policies and procedures that almost completely take the heart and art out of the field of medicine, I would love to take time with patients and listen and pray with each of them. I would love to listen to more than their “chief complaint”, because #4 or #5 on their list might really be affecting their #1 problem, but I might not hear it because I’m in a hurry. I would love to have time to share Jesus with my patients–more than just the cross necklace I wear–and introduce them to the Ultimate Healer.
My heart is overseas, but I still have several years of training before I can work competently there. My prayer is that I can still reflect Jesus to those I serve under and alongside, build relationships with my peers, and remain full of compassion in a field that is quickly losing it.
Thanks for this question–it certainly has made me think! I just began reading your blog a few weeks ago, and it’s been a real encouragement!
Molly says:
blogged about it:
http://mollster7.blogspot.com/
Owlhaven says:
I’ve had this tab open in my browser for two days, wanting to think about it more deeply, and write about some ideas. Haven’t come to an stellar conclusions yet. But, wow, I want to be out there in the world witnessing in a real way.
Thanks!
Mary, mom to many
compassion dave says:
I am as open to the Lord’s leading as I am to winning the mega-ball jackpot, the only differnce being I don’t play the lottery. I ALWAYS want to do more for Jesus and I often struggle enjoying what it is He has me doing now.
I am grateful that the Lord reveals His will to me (only) one moment at a time and at this moment He wanted me to say that.
Here’s a recipe I like: ask/yield/repeat
deirdre says:
I just don’t know.
I work on a university campus full of wealthy kids who don’t admit that they have needs. so it’s hard to know what i could do for them.
I want to work with my church youth choir but I have a 9 month old baby girl who needs my care.
I do try to minister to people through my writing. I send encouragement to others via emails and letters. Occasionally I go through my address list and just let God tell me someone to send an encouraging email to.
I need to talk to my husband about this and see what he thinks we should do. It would need to be as a family and I would want his guidance.
thanks for sending this discussion out on a different vector than the cynical one. This has been a real, thought provoking, blessing.
Deirdre
Brooke says:
Still thinking … this has been open for so long as I dwell on it. You see, I think some churches have wisely distanced themselves from certain “good works” that really had no eternal benefit. I think that the call/pull to “do” something is often not carefully guided by the Holy Spirit in exactly what ought to be done by each person.
I tend to be a yes person and jump to fulfill needs … so I have to be careful that it’s a need I’m really supposed to fill.
And I also recognize the value in what K.P. Yohannan says (remember, he has a large helping ministry when you read this) in his comment that a starving man on the street can easily go to hell on a full belly. It’s thought-provoking in that the statistics often show that humanitarian missions done by Christians often yield few results with an large monetary expenditure (not that numbers is a game I play, but it’s interesting). Now, I would never place Compassion in that category because their goal is so clear and clearly met, however I think it’s quite common for humanitarian missions to meet all but eternal needs. Yes, physical and eternal are very linked – after all, a meal can cause someone to live long enough to know Christ …
So I want to know I’m led by God in what I do in addition to caring for my family and children. Instead of listing all I’m doing right now, or typing out a big dream I’ll never do … I’m just continuing to take your challenge and pray about if there is anything different/more I need to be doing right now.
Thank you for this.
Stacy says:
Sarah,
Your desire to share Jesus with your patients made me think of a couple doctors in my hometown. My brother goes to church with two doctors, a married couple, and they have gathered a group of volunteers to pray with their patients. After each patient’s appointment, they are given the opportunity to stop by an extra room where 2-3 volunteers are waiting to pray with them, for physical healing and anything else they want prayer for. The goal is to build relationships with the community and introduce people to Jesus. I don’t know how many patients take advantage of that opportunity, and I don’t know how often the doctors themselves are able to be involved in praying with their patients, but I wanted to share this with you as an encouragement that there are ways to introduce patients to Jesus, even in America. I pray that wherever God leads you he would bless your desire to bring people to him.
shayne says:
Shaun,
Saw this post when you first put it up and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’ve always had these huge daydreams about what I would do if I won the lottery…you know the kind where you walk into the hospital and pay off people’s bills? Or tell your Pastor to have the church come up and present their mortgages and pay them all off???
Honestly, that’s probably never gonna happen. Dang it.
I had a dream the other night that I was in a crowd of people. Some of the people in the crowd were people I go to church with. I heard the Spirit say to me, “Just preach the gospel. Simply…just talk about why Jesus came and what He did. That’s all.” So I opened up my mouth to talk to the people. It felt like I had marbles in my mouth and the words wouldn’t come out right. But every time I did manage to make a sentence, the church people in the crowd would quickly jump up and amen me so loudly that the unsaved people couldn’t hear what I was saying.
I think that’s God’s way of telling me I’m making this witnessing thing harder than it has to be. My new goal is simplicity. If I see something that needs doing…I’m just gonna do it. Simply, no fuss, no frills, and more than likely no glory (ouch) but worth it.
Kristi says:
Shaun,thanks for your challenge. I only recently read it. It’s good to take a moment to evaluate one’s life, to find the good that one is already doing, while also being challenged to find those weak areas where one could be doing more, or perhaps start something entirely new.
http://beingtransformed.blogspot.com/2009/05/challenge.html
dean says:
wow shaun!! i just received notification of the above comment in my inbox… aren’t u glad to know all that legal stuff about witnessing… stuff??
Stretch Mark Mama says:
Hey, your top link is broken. Should be: http://shaungroves.com/2009/05/our-witness/
I am getting ready to link back to this page from my blog so that’s how I know. *smile*