Our small groups will leave from our churches in Tipton (Rock Baptist) at 3:30 and from Noblesville at 3:00.  Kokomo Teams meet Darrin at the Family Hope Center.

This is your opportunity to put your faith into action.  The Gathering has organized one outreach every month that is specifically designed to allow you to actually practice what you feel called to do – so all of you with a heart for the homeless who want to show God’s love in a practical way …..this is for you!!

We are already starting our February outreach event working with AT&T Pioneers.  So far we have over 100 cell phones collected, but we need 150 more before February 7th.  Jim Hopkins and Valerie Smith are heading this up.  The drive is targeting businesses in Carmel and Kokomo every Tuesday.  So those servants who are in the small groups in either area – just conatact us and we will get you all ready to serve.  So far 18 people have been able to learn about how to turn discarded cell phones into a special Valtines gift for our military…..Showing God’s love in a special way.

AT&T Pioneers and long-time charitable collaborator Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc., a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing free calls home to deployed armed forces, have teamed up to keep active duty military personnel connected to loved ones for Valentine’s Day. This year, 30,000 service men and women will receive a precious call home and a special Valentine courtesy of AT&T Pioneers and Cell Phones for Soldiers as a tribute to their sacrifice and service to the nation. As part of a larger effort, the AT&T Pioneers are distributing more than 65,000 calling cards to active military members.

Each year, AT&T Pioneers collect cell phones benefitting Cell Phones for Soldiers and also prepare and send thousands of care packages to troops serving overseas, greet soldiers at airports and host various events to recognize the sacrifice of military members and their families.

Don’t forget our Super Bowl Parties at “The Connection” at Morning Star Church for the MHA…..and our “First Responders” Super Bowl pizza deliveries as well.  If you want to help just call MSC – and they will hook you up!

We believe that we are called to move into our neighborhoods and show God’s love in a practical way.  And while we encourage you to worship and commune with your church, meet with your fellow Gatherers, and give of your time, talents and treasurers…..we all need to get itno the field and put it into practice.  This is how we reach the unsaved and train ourselves.  If you are one of the 974 people who viewed our pages so far this month, look at our page SE Primer on the tabs above.  If you want to learn more and serve abundantly, click any link and contact us. 

See you tomorrow!!!

 Next we are preparing to deliver 45 pizzas to Fire Stations and EMTs all over the 7 Counties.  Churches in Peru, Loagnsport, Kokomo, Tipton and Noblesville will be visiting local Papa Johns and Dominos to pick up and deliver the goods for a special Super Bowl Party.

We also have hundreds of sodas and bottled water thank to a donation from Coke and……we are sticking around at the various Firehouses and ERs to serve the First Responders and clean up the mess.

Pizzas and Big Screens are going to area homeless shelters as well.

Finally we are working with Friends at the Walker Center in Indy to take 50 families to the Family Friendly Super Bowl Village —the “Epicenter of Awesome”— in downtown Indianapolis from January 27 through February 5.  The visit includes two separate stages featuring local and international music talents such as Dierks Bentley, LMFAO, Patti Labelle, Fuel, Darius Rucker, Sixpence None the Richer, and much more. Countless other free activities will be in place to keep families entertained and it won’t cost anything, we’ll do the driving and parking and the families will have a time to remember.  Each of our counties are setting up rides and enlisting servants to make it happen.  Call the contact line or click on the link to either sign your family up or to volunteer.  We have some special Colts keepsakes for volunteers.  

Thanks to Grace, Rock Prairie, and Crossroads for vehicles and fuel for the trips…..and our drivers from CAM.  We hope the MSC Van is fixed and ready to go (Ivy Tech is working on the transmission) also.

Finally, “The Gathering”  will be applying for CDBG Block Grants in Kokomo on February 8th.  Please plan to be at City Hall to support our request to provide funding for our JTF outreach.  We already received $6700 from Ivy Tech and WorkForce One who provide the certified training absolutely free to our enrolled clients.  4 people rode with us to fill out applications on Thursday of last week – 22 so far in January.  Morning Star Church  (MSC) has provided $100/month for fuel and a grant of $1000 to maintain our vehicles to get people connected with job opportunities in Indianapolis.  5 of the 22 have retun interviews and 7 expect to be hired.

Call us, email, join up – we are having a great time…..showing God’s love in a practical way.

Don’t forget 10,000 valentines for our men and women in uniform in February…..we will be working with the same group http://www.facebook.com/vfmh2011 Valentines for Military Heroes – just follow the link and help.

We seek to provide these huggable “Teddy Bears” to traumatized children in great stress…..and we want you to be the messenger.  Small things done with great love will change the world.  Ready, Fire, Aim!!!

Meanwhile, our transportation (supported by Morning Star Church in Kokomo) is currently awaiting repairs.  The engine is fixed and running fine, but the transmission is struggling.  We still are the ONLY daily shuttle for hospital referrals (Rolando Fuentes at St Joseph Hospital and 211) and job interviews (free) as well as accepting commuters ($7 per round trip).  Our friends at Ivy Tech perform all the labor for free – but we need MSC and donations to keep the van – 235,000 miles – on the road for daily trips.  In December we did 21 ‘free’ hospital and job interview appointments.

We are setting up the Super Bowl ‘first responders’ free pizzas.  Area Emergency providers and Fire Stations will be getting “free” Super Bowl Sunday pizza deliveries.  Hopefully, there will be no emergencies to interrupt their watching plans.  We will also be providing special monthly appreciation gift to our North Central Indiana first-responders.

Area ER’s deal with children in incredible traumatic situations.  When the children are stabilized, “The Gathering” wanted to provide something ‘special’ to help the recovery.  So we have provided 120 Teddy Bears to hospital Emergency Rooms in the 7 county area….but we need about 200 more to have them available to children who wind up in Emergency Rooms this winter.  Call 765-438-4658 to donate or contact us at any of the partner churches in your community – just ask for “The Gathering” coordinator.  We also renewed the Serving in Love relationship with Kimberly-Clark and Pampers – so every New Year’s baby will get free Diapers – showing God’s love in a practical way.

Finally, 43 people enrolled in the WorkForce One/Ivy Tech certification classes through Coordinated Area Ministries (CAM) for free job training.  Looks like 2012 will be a great year for Servant Evangelism in North Central Indiana.  Breaking economic barriers to the abundant life God wants us to live – The Gathering is committed to showing God’s love in a practical way.  Email us or call us to help.  We need your time, talent and resources.  See you in the mission field!

This Serving in Love Blog is becoming a new Servant Evangelism Site called “The Gathering”.  We are a multi-church, ecumenical FBO dedicated to breaking barriers that prevent families from acheving abundant lives by showing God’s love in a practical – a TRUE servant evangelism outreach with NO STRINGS attached.  Click here for more information  – thegatheringrtf

We still work with everyone associated in SIL outreaches and with Morning Star Church – but now we have dozens of “Home Churches”, Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and community resources.  We have active members in Tipton, Miami, Grant, Hamilton, Marion, Cass and of course, Howard Counties.  See you in January – Showing God’s love in a practical way.

Along with the Turkey, we will supply everything for a a complete Thanksgiving dinner :

Large roasting throw away pans

Boxes of stuffing and instant potatoes

Large cans of green beans

Canned sweet potatoes

Cans of mushroom soup

French fried onions

Cake mixes

Cake frostings

Family Video helps every year!

Why are we different?

Even believers understand that ‘traditional evangelism’  – ‘handing out tracks’ and ‘meeting needs’  is ineffective.  Barna research has determined it over and over.  It fails because it is about “our church” or there are conditions attached. So we show God’s love in practical ways – no strings attached – to break the ice with people who are seeking to live more abundant lives.

Servant Evangelism is an outreach to touch the lives of our local community with a free, “no strings attached” gift or service. Our intent is to be an example of our faith by showing God’s love through service to others.

Why we do it?

We are called to be a light to others. It is the very basis of our faith.   By serving you are an example not only to the community outside of our church walls but also an example to our church body.   A simple act of kindness can introduce a complete stranger to the love of Christ.

Are we meeting needs?

Churches and outreaches respond to needs and do wonderful work helping distressed people at the point of need.  Servant Evangelism may look like that, but we are connecting assets by building relationships.  We used to think in terms of services and needs.  We thought that our purpose was to match needs with services.  As we designed our programs, we asked professional community builders and like minded professionals to look at our plans and give us advice.  They told us that the Service/Needs way of thinking does not recognized the many gifts of our neighbors.  So we listen to people and match people.  See our Community Page for more information.

How much of my time is required?

We normally have one or two Servant Evangelism events per month. Most events start and conclude within a 2-hour time frame. Our events are tailored to touch as many hearts as possible in this short time frame. We are simply planting seeds of God’s love.

What if someone wants me to pray with him or her?

It happens….. and it is awesome!! People that are comfortable praying for and with others staff every event. We identify these servants at the start of each event.   It is a blessing when someone’s heart is open to asking for prayer. If you do not feel comfortable praying with someone, simply take him or her to one of the identified servant leaders.

I am a little shy, will I have to share my faith?

No, you are not asked to share your faith but you are welcome to at anytime. We just show God’s love in a practical way, nothing more is required, nothing less is acceptable.  Again, if you encounter a faith discussion or prayer request we have servant leaders on hand to help you. 

Will a pastor be there?

A pastor is normally on hand during our events. In the case that one is not available we always have leaders on hand at each event. 

What if someone asks a tough question like “why does God allow suffering”?

This is a tough question. However, we have never heard this or any of the other “tough” questions asked during an event. Nonetheless, we have leaders on hand to address this question with the person if you are not comfortable.

What if I don’t know a lot of the Bible?

If you are serving then you are living the example set forth in the Bible.  Servant Evangelism is about planting seeds, scripture and Biblical learning is the water that will be applied should this person seek Christ in the future. 

Are we helping the poor?

This is another way we are different.  Traditional outreaches focus on economically poor people.  But SE recognizes that we are poor in many ways –  economically, spiritually, emotionally….many ways.  Some of our events are planned in lower income areas, however most are in our local community.  Our outreach is about relationships and assets.  Everyone needs to be needed and everyone has something to offer.  The events are unbiased – God’s love is free to all!

Can I bring my children to an SIL event?

Many of us do! It is an awesome sight to see our children giving to others without regard for themselves. Our children are little sponges and taking them to these events sets a Godly example of service in your family. Plus, we make sure they have a fun time!!

How can I sign up?

You can sign up online at on the links on this page.  Please contact Morning Star Church (765) 452-7166 or email us at servinginlove@comcast.net  if you need any assistance or have any questions about Servant Evangelism. We were called to this ministry and had ALL of the same questions that are posed above!!

We made it back to Kokomo safe and sound at about 8 pm on Saturday-the last display of God’s favor on our team.

 I believe that the best way to report is to share the prayer items that went out to our team on July 22nd:

Hello Team,
Our God is still showing us His love, mercy and grace in advance of our trip.  I trust everyone continues to pray for our mission.  Here are some specific issues to include:

1. That we would all completely humble ourselves before God, each other and those we will be serving
2. That God will bless us with a spirit of unity, love and obedience to all that He asks of us
3. That Rachel and Ashley will be led and empowered to lead our efforts at the Anacostia Gospel Chapel day camp Tues-Thurs in the afternoons
4. That we share rich times discussing God’s word and TESTIMONIES of the work that He will accomplish through us
5. For those that we will serve – that their hearts will be hungry for God and we the hands, feet, mouths and ears of God to them

 I believe God answered these as follows:

1. Humility – We never lacked for food during the trip, but it was often of a common sort –  Breakfast was cereal, toast, pop tarts, milk and coffee and lunch was PBJ and cold cuts with chips, granola bars and apples.  Dinner was our big restaurant meal. How this relates to humility is that when we served breakfast to or delivered meals they were of a type that was better and more than what we were eating.  This the team served with great joy and resolve without grumbling.  Our prayers were answered and God was glorified.  Praise the Lord!
2. Unity – This was a week long process.  I believe God spoke to us on this issue on Wednesday when Larry (one of the leaders at CHARLIE’S PLACE breakfast for homeless men) asked the group two or three times as we were sharing after we had finished clean up “Do you love your team?”   Of course we all said “Yes!!” This was not asked because of anything that he saw but his way of reminding us of the critical value of unity that comes when we love one another.  Interestingly we were tested on this very issue that afternoon.  But prayers and Larry’s words were of much value as we worked through it.  From that point on I saw a growing sense of unity and we ended the trip one in Christ and in His joy.  Our prayers were answered and God was glorified.  Praise the Lord!
3. The children’s day camp at Anacostia Gospel Chapel (AGC) was a blessing that stretched us all.  A great time and experience.  Our hearts were all touched in a special way by at least one child, but there were times when the group (20-25) excitement required some demonstrations of extra grace and love.  But again our prayers were answered.  Ashley, Rachel and the team rose to every situation.  We ended having made new friends with AGC brother/sisters (Eric, Stacey, Janet and Gwen) who helped with the camp.
4. Team sharing of God’s Word and testimonies -  This occurred informally in the moment and in a more structured way at the end of every day.  Our Center for Student Missions  (CSM) host was 20 year old Anna and what a godly woman at her age!  A great addition to our team that not only navigated us around the city (if any of you have ever driven in DC you know what I mean) but more importantly she very directly and tenderly directed everyone to reflect and report on what the day meant.  The highs- the lows and where God specially touched us.  Every team member was an active participant in these times and many journaled their experiences and thoughts.  Brent, Skyler, Anna and I shared devotionals. Please ask anyone from the team to share their experiences…you will hear for yourself the impact this week had on each of us (ask about Urban Plunge, the AGC kids, daily debriefs at the Jefferson Memorial, the Capital or the Prayer tour). Our prayers were answered and God was glorified.  Praise the Lord!
5. Each and every team member served with passion and desire.  Literally every site where we served noted how hard we worked.  More than once the team had to eat their sack lunches on the way back to AGC because we stayed working longer that we were scheduled to. I also know that the gospel was shared to some of the people we served.  Our prayers were answered and God was glorified.  Praise the Lord!  Please continue to pray for Eusebio and James that the Word will produce much fruit in them.

We owe a great thanks to:

1. Our Church for providing support in several ways…prayer and financial support, the leadership of Steve Young and Pastor Greg, Shelley Boruff and others.
2. Our families – your love and support.  In my case particularly for my wife Sandra as she was home alone for the whole time. Something she has never done and was majorly outside her comfort zone (Thanks Susan for inviting her out to lunch one day)
3. CSM and our host Anna
4. Anacostia Gospel Chapel – Pastor Bob and youth pastor Bobby
5. First Congregational Christian Church for the use of their van
6. The lady that made us the snazzy t-shirts
7. I hope I have not forgotten anyone

Joshua 1:6-9

Agape, Lee

Yesterday was a great day! God showed Himself to us in many ways.  As I have said before, our day started very early.  We left the church around 5:30 to go to Charlie’s Place (see day 1, http://info.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace/).  Charlie’s Place is where men can go to receive a free breakfast from Tuesday-Saturday.  While at Charlie’s Place, some of us worked in the kitchen or help serve food.  We also got to talk to some of the men that were there.  It seemed like it took a long time for the breakfast to be served.  I asked one of the men why it takes so long and he said he believes that all the places in the city serve breakfast at the same time so that people can’t breakfast hop.  He said it had happened in the past and that is why they were waiting.

The gentleman that I was talking to grew up in Virginia and then has been in DC for most of his life.  He was a very lively man and very easy to talk to.  He told me about how when he was 11 his dad gave him some money and he could spend it on whatever he wanted.  He chose to buy some materials and make a shoe shine box.  Then he would go around and shine people’s shoes.  He then saved the money he got from shoe shining and he bought himself a AM/FM radio. He said his dad did no allow him to sit in front up the TV,but he could do whatever he wanted in his room.  So he would sit in front of his radio and listen to sports. He then mentioned that he loved to listen to Bobby Knight basketball. When I heard that I got excited, because back in the day my dad had tried out for the IU basketball team.  I then noticed that my dad was close by and that he was free.  I called my dad over and introduced him to my new friend and told my dad about how my friend was a fan of Bobby Knight.  Oh did they have fun going back!  They talk about all these sports figures from the 70′s or so. I had a blast seeing these men that grew up in drastically different parts of the country, with different skin colors, and different family dynamics just really connect over people the grew up listening and watching on tv.

After we served breakfast and cleaned up, one of the men that helps run Charlie’s Place, Larry talked to our group.  He kept saying, “Do you love your church?” Then he said “Do you love your team?” This statement really stuck with our group the rest of day.  Are we really showing love to others, not just those we are serving, but to those on our team?  Larry also gave us this charge: Be a part of the good things coming out of Indiana. So that when I see good things coming out of Indiana I can think of you. If nothing good is coming out Indiana then do something good there!

We then took another of the leaders of Charlie’s Place, Paul, to his job.  Before he started his shift, he took us to a chapel on the corner from his job.  It is a beautiful little chapel with blue stained glass windows.  While we were in there, he gave us some great advice. He told us that throughout live we will come across adversity. He then went on to say that adversity comes from 3 things: ourselves, satan, and what God allows.  he talked about how God allows us to go through adversity so that he can build our spiritual muscle.  God allows bad things, but does not cause them.  He allows it so that we may be drawn closer to him.  He also asked us to go home and to be aware of those around us.  In DC it is obvious that there are people hurting, but there are also people hurting everywhere.  We need to be aware of those that are hurting around us and help them.  The last thing that Paul said was that he would like us to pray for him.  So if you remember, please pray for Paul.  Lastly, Paul gave everyone a huge hug!

After we left Paul, we were able to come back home early and get some rest.  I must say it was a huge blessing to come and get a nap before all the kids came in the afternoon!  After my beautiful nap We had our second day of kids camp.  Camp went so well!  One of the best things we did was, the kids were separated into 4 groups and we gave them random objects and we we had them create a skit.  Some of the skits were HILARIOUS!  I wish we had them on video.  We played some games and sang some songs.  We then went into our princess and knight groups.  The princesses made crowns, read a love letter from God, and we painted nails! They just loved that! during this time the boys were making cars out of random objects.  Mostly water bottles, cups, cans, toothpicks, sticks, and playdough. I was told when all the stuff was dumped on the floor all the boys said, “that’s junk!” But it appeared that the “junk” turned out to be alot of fun.  The boys also continued to talk about strength and who God wants them to be.

After camp we headed over to CSM’s other ministry site where there are many more groups staying for the week.  While we were there we had soul food! Very good in my opinion.  We then had a time of worship through singing.  Then we got into 1 of 4 groups, worship through words, worship through art, worship through music, or worship through discussion.  I went to the discussion group with Brent.  There was alot of great dialogue.  Overall it was a fairly good day.

I will not update today’s events now, because it is getting late and I will need to be up relatively soon.  I just want to say that I greatly appreciate all the prayers this week.  You all have been a great support to us and we greatly appreciate.  I have loved getting emails and texts from some of you just saying that you are lifting us up in prayer.  Prayer is so powerful and I know that all your prayers have helped make this trip a success thus far. I will try and write today and tomorrow’s entry tomorrow.  Then we will be on the road on Saturday.  I will probably add pictures once we are home.

Thanks for reading and many blessings,

Ashley

Start with the Howard County Foundation…Lots of Opportunity!  Click on the Scholarships link at the site:

http://www.cfhoward.org/#

SIL is researching and receiving information from several sources about schlarships specifically for college students.  Here is the list: