Church, do you desire to share God’s heart with the homeless and to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ with the hopeless? We are called to love and to have compassion on those who are in need and suffering. And one of the ways we can do that is by going out and reaching out to those who are living on the streets and in desperate need of a meal, everyday essentials, and most of all the love of Jesus Christ. Join us Saturday July 22nd as we serve meals, distributing much needed every day items such as clothing, blankets and personal care items. Most importantly we will be sharing the love of Christ, sharing the gospel, praying with, and encouraging people in the Word. Come out, serve with us! heart
July 22 | 11:45 AM
Veterans Park, Manchester
“For the poor will never cease from the land; Therefore, I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and your needy, in your land.’ - Proverbs 21:13
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard. - Proverbs 28:27
He who gives to the poor, will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses. - Isaiah 58:6-8,10
And in Jesus' own words, recorded in the book of Luke 4:18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
I encourage you to get involved in this effort and there are many ways to do so. You can donate some of the items that we will be distributing, such as gently used adult sized clothing and practical footwear, backpacks, blankets and sheets, tarps, toiletries and personal care items such as but not limited to toothbrushes and paste, deodorant, soap, wet wipes, fingernail clippers, feminine care products, anything that you can think of that somebody would need on a daily basis.
You can contribute to part of the meal. We are looking to have hot and cold options such as but not limited to sandwiches and crock pot meals. However we will likely not have electricity so if you do provide a hot option keep in mind that it might want to be something that is just as tasty as the temperature cools down. I think it would be great to make up some sandwich platters and some sides to go with, such as macaroni or potato salad, and some fruit. Maybe some cookies or brownies.
We will also be collecting individually wrapped snacks for people to throw in their backpack and have for later. Whatever the Lord puts on your heart will be greatly appreciated. We will also be handing out handwritten notes and cards of encouragement so if you feel led to write one of those notes please do.
Now on the day of outreach we will need many servants. We will need help serving food, we will need help in the areas of clothing and personal care item distribution, we will need prayer helpers, and help to share the gospel, and people to just be there and float as well, see where the Spirit leads you. If you are able to come out and serve please do. You will be an incredible blessing to many people and I know that you also will be incredibly blessed. If you feel a stirring in your heart but you are not sure how you can help, or are feeling unsure about how you may fit into this outreach I encourage you to take a step of faith. We had someone serving at our last outreach who admitted that she was very hesitant and unsure what to expect, she felt this was out of her comfort zone but she was obedient to the Lord’s leading and came anyway and she was deeply touched by her experience and by the people she was able to encourage and pray with. So let’s get out of our comfort zone and take a step of faith. If you have any questions or want to help but are unsure how please don’t hesitate to talk with myself, Eva, or Stephanie. If you would like to provide a meal option but cannot come out on that day we will arrange a pick up of the meal. There will be a sign up sheet here at the greeting area and also online for meal contributions and coverage for specific areas and there will be a bin for donations each week at the greeting area. We will be accepting donations up until Tuesday July 18th. And finally when and where this will be taking place. Saturday July 22nd we will be meeting at Veterans Park in Manchester.
We will have a set up crew arriving at 11 and everyone else should please arrive by 11:45. I know that there are a couple of ladies studies on Saturday mornings so if you are part of those groups that is okay just come after your group finishes. If you are not part of a group on that morning and you can arrive at 11 to help set up please do, it would be very helpful. Shortly We will be handing out a list of the needed items we will be collecting. But remember that donations are not limited to what’s on the list. If there is anything else that you can think of that someone would be in need of please pick it up.
I thank you so much in advance for any way that you can contribute to this effort whether it be of your time, donations, resources or prayers. Thank you and most importantly I thank God for going ahead of us and paving the way.