CityServe 2012 Recap

Apr 27th 2012

Last weekend was CityServe 2012. Calvary joined with 10 other local congregations for a weekend of community service. In fact Calvary cancelled our worship gatherings to go out and be the church for the whole weekend. What a great weekend!

As we prepped for CityServe the weekend prior, we looked at Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones resurrected. The resurrection was more than just personal rejuvenation it was for the purpose of God’s mission. The resurrected bones became a living breathing army of resurrection in the valley. Then I said something like this,

Resurrection has been unleashed throughout the world, not just so our thirst could be satisfied. Remember a couple of weeks ago I said, it’s not just about us. There is a world of thirsty people out there who need resurrection. I know some of you here this weekend are in need of your own personal resurrection…and I so deeply hope that this vision of Ezekiel will spur on your hope and lead you to listen to God and cry out to be filled with his Spirit.

But far too many of us settle for being objects of resurrection when God calls us to be agents of resurrection.

An army of resurrected people going out to do good and spread resurrection throughout the valley. I know it seems like raking a yard or painting a bathroom, or cleaning a toilet does not even begin to compare to resurrection. But you just don’t know what a resurrection-God can do with your act of service.

One project was that of a woman who lives in a trailer in Julian. Her husband had died within the last few months. Her trailer was significantly damaged and she had no one to fix it. She said, “Everytime I see the holes in my trailer, all I can think about his what I lost.” When Kendra said that we would be happy to come and help, the tears started coming down her cheeks and she said, “I can’t believe it, no church has ever been kind to me like this before.”

Last weekend the church of the Centre Region was kind to her.

Last weekend the church of the Centre Region — about 840 volunteers — was kind to about 120 different individuals and organizations. Single moms, the elderly, people struggling with financial difficulties, nursing homes, firefighters, hospice workers and organizations like Stormbreak, the Pregnancy Resource Center, and Centre Peace experienced the kindness of the church of the Centre Region. People were visited. Parties were held. Houses were painted. Yards were raked. Bushes were mulched. Schools were cleaned. Trailers were fixed. Decks were (or will be) stained. I could go on and on.

Who knows what God will do with the seeds of kindness and hope that were planted.

But here is my challenge — don’t let it be a weekend event. Go out and tend the seeds in the garden that God has given you.