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12-17-06 -- Taking Jesus to the Community
Last Christmas, Southland Christian Church (Lexington, Kentucky) “made waves” by canceling services on Christmas Day and encouraging members to use that time “being the church” by serving the community in creative ways. SCC members responded by delivering goodies to local hospitals and police stations, leaving large tips at restaurants, and even spontaneously planning a last-minute trip to the Gulf Coast to help with hurricane repairs.
Southland will remain open for services this Christmas Eve, but the church’s focus on service continues to grow. In early 2007, Southland will launch its new Circles of Influence Initiative, transforming last year’s “waves” into long-term ripples of kindness.
“Circles of Influence isn’t exactly a direct outgrowth of our emphasis last Christmas,” says Ami Williams, editor and copyright specialist at Southland. “‘Be the Church’ was simply a mental and practical springboard. It helped our church family realize we need to take Jesus outside the traditional venue of a worship service—on Christmas Day or any other time—and bring his love and compassion to those who need it.”
Circles of Influence will begin with four different programs, two of which build on existing services Southland or other service organizations currently lead. “Some nonprofits already do an excellent job serving specific groups such as the homeless or at-risk youth, and so we’ll partner with them,” says Williams.
“We don’t want to duplicate work,” adds Karen Bowman, involvement coordinator. “We want to contribute volunteers and resources so those organizations can be even more effective in Lexington.”
Southland will also direct additional resources into several of its own existing ministries, such as Helping Through Him, which gives away clothing and appliances to needy families, or Bruised Reed, an outreach ministry to exotic dancers. (See the August 1, 2004, edition of “Buzz” for more on HTH and the December 4, 2005, issue for information on Bruised Reed.)
The church also plans two new programs. “We are beginning renovations in donated space downtown and plan to open a health clinic later next year,” Williams says. Doctors, dentists, nurses, and other medical professionals will donate their time to provide free health care to those without medical insurance. If the clinic is successful, Southland will open a second one in a neighboring county.
In addition, the leaders of the program are thinking creatively about other services the clinic could offer. “We plan to have life skills classes, and we may even provide veterinary care for animals!” says Bowman. “We want people to feel valued in a variety of ways.”
“Jon Weece, our senior minister, would like volunteer hairstylists and barbers available for those visiting the clinic,” says Williams. “That way people can feel like a million bucks inside and out!”
The church will extend its service to local schools, as well. “We identified many underprivileged children in two local schools,” Williams says. “Each Friday, volunteers will fill each child’s backpack with nutritious foods to take home. Some of these children receive healthy food only from the school lunch program. We want them to enjoy balanced meals throughout the weekend.”
To help fund these new programs, Southland held a special “community impact” offering the weekend of December 10. As they celebrate Christmas this year, SCC’s members look forward to more opportunities to serve Lexington. “Circles of Influence is about serving one person at a time,” Bowman says. “The ripples of these small actions done in love will spread outward to a family, a neighborhood, and eventually the community.”
www.southlandchristian.org
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD's contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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