On July 14th, 2018 we saw the Church come together like never before for Serve Day 2018. On this day, the Church banded together as the hands and feet of Jesus to serve a world who is hurting. You got dirty, you worked hard, you sweated a lot, you knelt down to look into someone’s eyes, you listened to their story, you were a shoulder to cry on, you spoke encouragement, you prayed for healing, and you ushered the presence of the Holy Spirit into the lives of many.
Moments like these happened around the world through…
930 churches
6 continents
26 countries
50 U.S. States
Countless Acts of Kindness
Thousands upon thousands of volunteers
All for the “One”
Ones like Mr. Lule, a practicing Muslim in Uganda. On Serve Day, he joined Bethel Covenant Connection Church to serve the community and worshiped Jesus alongside their team.
Ones like Mr. Perry who, when invited by a team from Purpose Church in Baton Rouge to a party in the park, he said “A lot of people see the issues around here and turn their heads. But y’all came to us.”
Ones like the man living on the streets of San Francisco. When a couple from Sozo Church shared the Gospel with him, his response was “I don’t deserve it. You don’t know what I’ve done.” And in that moment, they were able to share with him that Jesus’ love and grace for him is unconditional.
#ServeDayEveryday
Serve Day was a day full of powerful one-on-one moments. But these moments aren’t just isolated to an annual event. They were the beginning of a lifestyle of serving every single day. Just like Jesus would.
Ps. Jordan Smucker of Ethos Church in Columbus OH said it best:
I just want to love people like Jesus. Not a passive conditional love, not a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” kind of love, but an “aggressive, run to the messes, you cuss me out and I’ll buy you dinner” kind of love. A love that makes Jesus smile and the heads of our neighbors somewhat puzzled.
We’re gonna be part of every ARC Serve Day, no doubt, but service won’t be delegated to a day and time, but a lifestyle and an identity. So thankful for the journey – Today was the first step toward a big dream called Ethos Church! We may not have had a “church service” yet, but we already doing church.
For information check out additional resources at serveday.com, servolution.org and Dino Rizzo‘s book, Serve your City, at arcchurches.com.
