Matthew 28:18-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Part 1
The church’s purpose: to share the Good News with the world. The Good News of our Lord Jesus, who went to the cross for us and took our penalty for sin. The Good News of freedom in Christ, not tied to our sin. The Good News that this world is not our home, while sin and death prevail here on Earth, our home is the perfection of Heaven.
When our region, our country, and our world were rocked earlier this year with COVID-19, it left us abandoning Sunday gatherings, scrambling to understand God’s purpose. The sanctuary sat empty, the lights unlit, the classrooms undisturbed, the Commons stagnant. What used to be a gathering place quickly appeared asleep. Instead, worship took place in our homes as our gatherings shifted to Zoom, communion taking place with makeshift elements: Gatorade, juice, water, milk, tortillas, sandwich bread, crackers.
When the church was sent home, the question remained: how can we fulfill The Great Commission while we are scattered? How can Jesus’ church be a light in a dark time? Our church elders, Brandon Hudson, Thien Lai, Thang Pham, Zane Sporleder, and elder-at-the-time John Hanson were approached with various needs within our body, from help with medical bills or job reduction or loss because of the virus. Desiring God’s will to provide for those in our midst, an initial decision by the elders was to give $2,000 from our operating budget and ask the congregation to match that gift, which would then be used to help those who had requested aid. This is how the Community Care Fund was born, responding to the needs presented before us.
God’s response through our member offering far exceeded the initial ask of $2,000. Within a month of sharing about the CCF, nearly $10,000 was given to the fund! In a time of deep need, God showed up and we weren’t even meeting in person. With this miraculous response of provision from God, it was decided to expand the scope of how these funds would be used, allowing our church to be the hands and feet of the gospel. As church members became aware of need in our communities, the CCF became a resource for relieving the burdens of this challenging season. States Pastor Brandon, “We realize each individual probably can’t take care of the needs we hear about, but partnering together as a whole church we can support one another and provide the care our family friends and neighbors need.”
While our church was at home, God was at work just as He always has been. Thang adds, “Times of need [are] a perfect way for the body of Christ to step in and up to the plate to fulfill the Gospel mandate of loving our neighbor like ourselves.”