Serve Our Community

The Christian life isn’t meant to be lived carefully protected in a box, and certainly not in a box, on a shelf or locked in the closet. One could say “the box” is the church. Many people will never make it into your church. But you can go to them! “Don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:16 TPT

Serving those in our communities is really about bringing the church to people. Serving our community can be done very simply through being kind, intentional, inviting and resourceful. You can also meet practical needs through donations and simple acts of service. You can bring the Good News into your community through evangelism and hope through prayer. And, serving our community can be complex like serving with a disaster relief team through an organization like Convoy of Hope or Samaritan's Purse. Whatever act of service you do, remember to reflect Jesus! Be humble and selfless, helpful, authentic, loving and compassionate, and willing to serve in the lowliest of tasks with honor and dignity.

In Matthew 25:31-40, Jesus delivers several parables about how His followers should live while waiting for His return. If a servant really loves his master, he's going to take advantage of the opportunity to bring a return on his master's resources. The Lord gives everyone the opportunity to use His resources. The issue is how we use that opportunity. Among the many resources God has given us are the abilities to teach, evangelize the lost, and minister to the needy. Jesus cared for the least of these, and we are called to do the same. To be a servant-hearted disciple, we must act on and out of compassion for those who feel overlooked. It is not enough to just notice those in need or the needs of others. We need to see a need and meet it. As we do that, we must have intention and action.

Sometimes, the greatest weakness is seeing a need and being frustrated that someone isn’t meeting the need. What if God allows you to see or feel something because He wants you to do something?! Loving, sacrificial action is the measure of His love (and our love too!).

God’s love is for the vulnerable.
- Care for the widows, orphans, poor and immigrants
- James 1:27
- Deuteronomy 10:18
- Deuteronomy 15:11 ESV – “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'
Mother Teresa said, “Love has a hem to her garment that reaches to the very dust. It sweeps the streets and lanes and because it can it must.”

In a world increasingly marked by isolation and need, churches stand at the crossroads of faith and community. This is because churches are uniquely positioned to bridge gaps and bring about positive change.

We believe serving is an important part of our discipleship journey. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to
the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). This passage encourages us to have a servant’s heart and to have an unselfish determination to serve others.

Remember, it is only through God’s grace that we get to be servants. At the end of the day, the only way you and I can be servant disciples is if God gives us the grace to do so! It is a gift to be used! The Holy Spirit will equip you and give you boldness.

Where to Start
- First Saturday Serve is River Valley’s initiative to consistently show up in our communities, to share the love of Jesus Christ in very practical ways. Serve with people from your campus on the first Saturday of every month!
The details and organization are done for you! You can simply sign up, show up, serve and make a difference
Teams and projects can be found at rivervalley.org/serve
- Serve Day is a national campaign; a day dedicated to showing people that we love the city they live in, the schools they go to, the parks they play at, and we will serve however we can! Simple acts of selfless love can open hearts to Jesus, and together we can make a difference. This day happens on the second Saturday in July!
Learn more at rivervalley.org/serveday
Learn about and get connected with a local organization doing good!
- Participate in the Angel Tree initiative each holiday season
To bless local children who has a parent incarcerated
- Host an international student or hospitality event through The Hospitality Center (Christ-centered organization out of the U of M)
- Become informed and or involved with refugees through Arrive Ministries
- Volunteer at or donate to a local pregnancy center or food pantry

We can generously give, have a lean-in attitude to learn, serve others, love our neighbors and share the gospel. Meeting people where they are, and addressing their needs both spiritually and physically. The story of compassion never ends.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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