Soggy Sneaks!

On Friday, August 3, fifteen City Church members participated in the Back on My Feet Sneaks Come Out at Night race. Some walked. Some ran. Some ran farther. Some volunteered. Everyone got soaked. About an hour into the event, the heavens opened up and poured rain on all involved. However, the rain did not damper anyone's spirits and everyone was thrilled to be a part of such a great event. 

Back on My Feet, a national organization operating in 12 major cities coast to coast, combats homelessness through the power of running, community support and essential employment and housing resources. Here in Baltimore, Back on My Feet has chapters at the Penn North Recovery Center, Helping Up Mission, Christopher's Place, and MCVET.

For three years now, City Church has sent a team to participate in the Sneaks event. After last year's event, several members decided to volunteer with Back on My Feet in an ongoing capacity. Along with other volunteers, they helped launch the Penn North chapter last fall. Three mornings each week, City Church volunteers can be found running the streets of Penn North, building relationships with the homeless population. 

photos courtesy of Kelsey Marden

If you are interested in learning more, take a moment to view the video below. Contact Back on My Feet to volunteer or talk with someone from our City Church team. If you can get up early, you can make a difference. And remember... it's never too early to start training for next year's race. 

El Salvador Blog #3

Day 8 (3/28/2018) by Jim Andreone

On Sunday morning we were able to take a bit of a break by visiting El Boqueron National Park, about a 45 minute drive up and around the mountainside from the guest house. The park is located on top of the San Salvador Volcano (now dormant) which last erupted in 1917, destroying much of the city at that time. From the visitor center, our team and the Snyder family hiked up to the rim of the volcano, enjoying the cooler air, trees, wildflowers and birds along the way. Interestingly, there is a small crater at the floor of the much larger crater, called “little Boqueron”. God’s creative power was very evident on this beautiful Sunday morning in this beautiful country. On the way back down the mountainside we stopped for coffee (they have really good coffee in El Salvador), enjoyed panoramic views of the city, got a demonstration of how coffee beans are roasted, and watched our waitress create a very detailed fish in Rachel’s latte.

In the afternoon, we continued our ministry to the boys at the New Dawn residence (see previous post for description of New Dawn), simply by hanging out and spending time with them. Eric, Rachel and Jim played UNO and Jenga - - good non-verbal type games - - although laughter translates well in both languages! While that was going on, Sean and Paul were across the street at the El Faro (Lighthouse) building, filling up balloons for a water balloon battle. Sides were chosen, and we had a dodgeball – type battle. Again, much laughter and friendship in evidence.

Monday morning was the time for the big soccer tournament that our group and the boys from New Dawn practiced for on Saturday morning.  This was a well-organized competition consisting of 7 teams, including a team from New Dawn, and, of course, City Church aka Team USA. Most of the boys from all of the teams seemed to know each other, and for sure, they were all quite intent on winning the tournament. Team USA played hard but lost 10-4 - - must have been the lack of colorful uniforms! The winner: New Dawn!

It was amazing to witness the care and love that some of the older men show towards the New Dawn boys. Some of them have gone through their own struggles with substance abuse, gang violence and homelessness, and by the grace of God have come out alive at the other end. They seem determined to not have this happen to these boys. The theme of Dignity-Respect-Love is evident and strong.

Monday afternoon we completed some work projects at El Faro. Sean and Paul finished up the ceiling fan installation and tackled some plumbing work. Rachel finished up her painting projects. Eric and Jim did some drywall spackling and sanding work in two of the MTES offices, for painting by a future visiting team.

On Tuesday, the Snyder family (Jon, Danielle, Tory and Ian) was gracious enough to share one of their vacation days (the city basically shuts down for Holy Week) with us. We went to the beach! It was nice to rest up for the long trip back to Baltimore on Wednesday.

The team at the top of the volcano

The view from the coffee shop

Two teams playing in the soccer tournament on Monday morning

The Beach!

El Salvador Blog #2

Day 5 (3/25/2018) By Eric Stevens, Sean Silveira

On Thursday night, we went to the MTES offices and made about 300 packages of food, which consisted of two slices of pizza and two breadsticks, and packed them into two large coolers. We took the coolers, along with cases of soda, and loaded them into the back of Jon’s pickup truck. Outside the office, we were greeted by about 20 people who knew to expect us. For the past seven years, MTES has been distributing food every Thursday night to people living on the streets in San Salvador. MTES uses this ministry as a chance to spread the word about their other programs, such as El Faro (described in our last blog post) and New Dawn (a nine to 12 month residential drug rehab program for minors). Our team hopped in the back of the pickup truck, the people formed an orderly line behind the truck, and we handed out the food and drinks to them. Then Ronnie, an employee at MTES, jumped onto the back of the truck and we began our night driving through the city, finding more homeless people, and distributing food and drinks. When we would find a group of people, Ronnie would shout, “Comida!”, which means “food” in Spanish. It was apparent how important this ministry was for the people living on the street and you could see the excitement in their eyes just to receive a small meal.

On Friday morning, we had the opportunity to see one of the young men graduate from the New Dawn program. He had entered the program about one year ago addicted to drugs. During his time in New Dawn, he received drug rehab services, counseling, tutoring, and more. His graduation was attended by not only his family but the families of the three other boys who are currently in the program. When it was time for the young man to say a few words, he broke down into tears because he was so grateful for the way his life has been changed over the past year. The other boys in the program stood up and surrounded him to give him support as he tried to speak about his gratefulness. Friends and family members were also overcome with emotion and joy seeing how far he had come in such a short time. The boys all then performed a song they had created during their time in the New Dawn program.

After everyone had left and we ate a brief lunch, we hopped back into our work projects that we had started the day before. Paul and Sean finished wiring and hanging the ceiling fans and everyone cheered when we flipped the switch and the fans turned on! Yay! Jim and Eric finished hanging the sheetrock wall, and Rachel continued painting the offices with the help of Jon and Danielle’s son Ian.

On Saturday morning, we went back to the MTES office and hung out with the three kids still in the New Dawn program. We played soccer for two hours in a small indoor court that a previous missions team constructed inside the garage area. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed seeing these kids who are going through a lot in their lives having time to just laugh and run and get some energy out. For lunch, we grilled hamburgers and served them to the kids. A few of us even were bold enough to add some hot peppers on our burgers!

That evening, we attended a church service that is held inside the MTES offices but is run by an organization called Hungry Church. The church was founded by and reaches out to ex-gang members who were deported from the US to El Salvador as well as other deportees from the US.  Before church began, they ate a meal together and enjoyed each other's company. The pastor spoke in English and it was translated into Spanish by one of the founding members so that the service would be accessible to everyone. At the end of the service, some of the members stood up and gave their testimonies. Most of them were brought to the US at a very early age and grew up speaking English and going to school. They then fell into the gang lifestyle or were just caught up with the wrong crowd, were arrested and spent time in jail. After serving their time, they were deported back to El Salvador. Some of them had absolutely no family or other connections here. One of the newest members spoke to us about how his family had taken him to the US when he was just 4 years old and had just been deported to El Salvador after being there 37 years. He told us about the culture shock because while he was born in El Salvador, the U.S. is his home. He spoke about God’s provision in that he was able to be connected to Hungry Church and in the two months time he has been in El Salvador they were able to get him into a housing situation and he was able to be setup with a job as well. It was amazing to hear the stories and talk to the members of the church, which was started out of a hunger to read and understand the Bible and a desire to reach out to the “unwanted” and “misfits” of the city.

The garage at the MTES offices decorated for the New Dawn graduation ceremony. 

Eric drilling in the final screws for the sheetrock. Above you can see the two fans that Paul and Sean hung. 

Sitting in the back of Jon's pickup truck, before going to the MTES offices on Thursday night to package and hand out meals. 

Paul and Sean hanging a ceiling fan. 

Pupusas are a traditional food in El Salvador and the team had the chance to each them on Thursday night, along with yuca, plantains, and curtido.

El Salvador Blog #1

Day 2 (3/22/2018) by Rachel Grotheer

Our team started our trip with a dramatic transition: from snow and ice to sun and heat! Jon Synder, one of the founders of Mission to El Salvador (MTES), picked us up at the airport and drove us through the city to the MTES offices, sharing with us facts on the way. Right away we noticed many people on the side of the road selling food and trinkets, even wading through stopped traffic to sell various objects. Jon then explained the economic situation in the country. He told us that minimum wage is about $8 a day or $300 a month. Even a doctor only makes about $800-$1000 a month, and yet the cost of living here is not much different than in the US (gas is $3.06/gallon, for example). With such a disparity between the income level and the cost of living, it is no wonder we saw so many trying to boost their income. We also noticed that every building has locked gates, is covered in barbed wire, and often there is an armed guard out front. All that said, we also were greeted by a beautiful country, and very friendly people. Jon and the team tried to lessen our initial culture shock by feeding us hamburgers the first night!

Our first day, Jon took us to the MTES office and explained more about the work MTES does. They have three micro-enterprises to increase opportunities for residents of the city to be employed. We saw several people working for one of them, making beautiful greeting cards, detailed with strips of colored paper. Across the street is another one of the enterprises, a small bakery selling sweet breads (hopefully we will try some soon!). The third entreprise is run by the women in the “Free the Girls” program, who had been trafficked. They sell new or gently used bras, giving them an opportunity to earn an income without having to interact with a man again.

We spent the rest of the day doing various work projects around the offices. Jim and Eric worked on putting up drywall to provide a more private space for the card-making enterprise. Sean and Paul worked on hanging electric fans in the at area. Rachel started painting trim and doorways in the offices. We will continue these projects throughout the week. I, (Rachel), was particularly struck by the joy and faith with which the employees and volunteers at MTES carry out their work. I was even interrupted in my work halfway the morning to join with five of them in prayer. They truly cover their work in prayer, as several prayers were said throughout the day, as different activities began.

After lunch, we worked with the El Faro (The Lighthouse) program, where clients of MTES (who struggle with addiction and homelessness) can come in, get their hair cut, play games, hear a short devotional and enjoy a meal. Eric and Rachel heated up several pizzas (in a very hot kitchen) with another volunteer from Germany. The rest of the team sat at tables with the clients, chatting and playing games with them. MTES is committed to three principles- dignity, respect, and love - and we really saw the MTES staff embody that in this time. They had a cake to celebrate all the February and March birthdays, they knew the clients by name and greeted them with a smile and handshake, they shared from the Bible that each person in the room was created in God’s image, that God said “it is good” when we created human beings, and that, in Jesus, we can all be God’s children.

We are about to enjoy a traditional Salvadoran dish “pupusas”, and then to go prepare and distribute about 300 meals to the homeless in the city. A long day, but it has been great so far to see the tireless effort the whole MTES staff puts into showing respect, dignity, and love to each person that crosses their path.

Sunrise from the guesthouse where we are staying. 

The room where MTES employees create greeting cards, and where Eric and Jim were putting up dry wall and Paul and Sean were hanging ceiling fans.

The part of the MTES office where Rachel was painting.

Eric and Rachel warming up pizza for clients of the El Faro program.

The team sitting and playing games with the El Faro clients.

Christian Community Center

About the Christian Community Center

The Christian Community Center is a non-profit ministry in West Baltimore focused on reaching inner-city children with the gospel. Open from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for all school-aged children, this relational ministry provides after-school bible studies among other activities. Believing that the most important thing the children need in their lives is God, they teach the bible every single day, guiding them to center their lives on Jesus as their Savior. Their reach also spreads to a ladies' ministry three times a week and a weekly men's bible study. 

Get Involved

Love spending time with children? Then drop by the Christian Community Center during their open hours! Whether it's playing games, shooting hoops, participating in crafts, helping with homework, teaching music, or helping share the gospel, the kids will love spending time with you during this after-school ministry.

Read about the latest happenings at the CCC: June 2020 Newsletter

Interested? Email Jordan at jordan@citychurchbaltimore.org.

 

Other Opportunities

• Ladies' Bible Study – Volunteer Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for a women's bible study, then help serve either a snack or lunch to follow.

• Men's Bible Study – Volunteer for this weekly Monday bible study geared towards men in this community.

• Used Clothing and Toy Store – Donate your used items to their store open every Monday!

Mission to North America's Disaster Response

About MNA Disaster Response

Mission to North America (MNA) provides support to PCA churches in disaster-affected communities through a network of staff and volunteer damage assessment teams, first response teams, site managers, and key leaders. MNA recruits and mobilizes volunteers, receives and distributes supplies and equipment, brings awareness of specific needs, channels recovery funds, focuses prayer and provides spiritual encouragement to our PCA family and their communities.

 

About Hurricane Harvey & Irma

We all have heard the names Harvey and Irma at this point. These two storms have certainly made names for themselves: both incredibly destructive, taking lives and disrupting many:

MNA is in full response mode in TX following Hurricane Harvey’s impact. Now we are assessing Hurricane Irma’s destruction in FL, GA, AL, TN, and SC. Although some areas are still underwater, and/or without power, early reports are that we have many opportunities to assist PCA communities rocked by this second, wide-spread disaster while still ramping up our response in TX.

MNA Disaster Response has staff and key leaders on the ground checking in with our congregations which number more than 160. Obviously it will take some time to determine the needs for each church family and how best we can help in the Name of Christ.  MNA works through a network of relief providers coming alongside local PCA churches and mission organizations in the affected areas. Funding is needed for mobilization of assessment teams, setting up short-term and long-term recovery sites that will host volunteers, supplies and equipment purchases, the transportation of urgently needed relief supplies, and financial grants for stabilization of homes belonging to our members and church physical plants. MNA also channels funds to our congregations to assist non-affiliated (non-PCA) storm-impacted families in desperate need through Mercy Ministry.

Please prayerfully consider a generous donation to equip your disaster response ministry to respond well to this new disaster.

 

Get Involved

Want to help? Assemble Flood Buckets & Hygiene Kits with us to send to MNA's Disaster Response Warehouse.

MNA's Disaster Response Warehouse provides disaster relief by partnering with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) to gather crucial resources for communities affected by these catastrophic events.

Right now, they have two urgent needs: flood buckets and hygiene kits. Click below for a list for each to start assembling your kits.

Back on My Feet

about back on my feet

Operating in 12 major cities coast-to-coast, Back on My Feet uses running and community to motivate and support individuals every step of the way from homelessness to independence. [Their] success is measured not only by the health impact of miles run, but also by how many individuals obtain education, employment and housing.

Back on My Feet recruits members (individuals experiencing homelessness) at homeless and residential facilities around the country and begins with a commitment to run three days a week in the early morning.  After 30 days in the program, members with 90% attendance earn the opportunity to move into the second phase of the program called Next Steps, which provides educational support, job training programs, employment partnership referrals and housing resources. Almost 80% of individuals who start the program move into Next Steps.

about penn north

Penn North offers an integrated, community-based addiction treatment and wellness program. Acupuncture, outpatient counseling, job readiness and training, and a variety of healing modalities are available to assist individuals seeking to recover their lives by better understanding their relationships with addictive substances.

Many clients are referred directly from prison or an inpatient facility, and others are experiencing homelessness and coming in off the street. To provide a continuum of services and ensure that clients are supported through treatment, Penn North provides a supportive housing program for qualified adults.

Penn North serves both men and women. There are eight community homes off campus, currently with 158 beds, sleeping 60% male and 40% female. Residents can stay for as long as they need; generally, 18-24 months.

get involved: team penn north

CITY CHURCH has run for Back on My Feet (BOMF), but are you interested in lacing up weekly and running with Back on My Feet?

City Church is helping BOMF get their new team started in the Penn North/Sandtown-Winchester neighborhoods, a Baltimore community that has experienced unbelievable unemployment rates (21% vs. 4.3% national average), poverty (30.9% vs. 14.5% national average), homelessness (1/3 of homes are vacant), and incarceration (3,074 per 100,000 persons vs. 455 national average).

Whether you're a regular runner or haven't run a day in your life, team up with other CITY CHURCH members as we run (or walk) with BOMF members of this running-based model that aims to restore member's confidence, strength, and self-esteem to better equip them to tackle the road ahead and move toward jobs, homes, and new lives.

Volunteers meet in the early morning, 5:30 AM, in Penn North and run between one and four miles with the members. Back on My Feet sees different physical abilities among members so all runners, joggers, and walkers can become a part of this growing community. They run every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but the desired volunteer commitment is once a week. Fallen in love with this team? Volunteer as often as you'd like!

Interested? Email Kelsey at kelsey@citychurchbaltimore.org.

 

other opportunities

• Wednesday, March 21 – Volunteer Orientation. CLICK HERE to register!
• Friday, August 3rd – Sneaks Come Out at Night Race. Stay tuned!

When You Don't Feel Like It

Although I call myself a writer, I’ve struggled to put thoughts into words for more than four months. That kind of stalling usually means I’m trying too hard, that I’m complicating something basic—something that should be told plainly.

So here it is: I want to tell you a story.

The story is simple—a service event and an unexpected conversation. It’s a quiet, unhurried story. It’s not glamorous. And, if I’m being honest, it barely has enough plot points to even be considered a story.

Yet, I feel compelled to share it with you.

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In April, I was supposed to organize an event for City Church at the Epiphany House, a GEDCO residence on York Road. This should have been an easy task: schedule the event, beg volunteers, show up, play games, eat carrots, go home, feel good about effort, check service off my list.

It should have been simple. But it wasn’t, because in April, I was too busy having an emotional break down and doubting God to focus on service.

I’d been suffering with severe insomnia for more than six months; I was mourning the loss of a relationship I’d thought would last forever; I was in the peak of my event season at work; and, due to the stress from all those things, my appetite had plummeted, dropping me to my lowest weight since I was fourteen.

Several people suggested that the best way to heal was to focus on serving others, so I agreed to plan the service event. Cool, I thought. Got it. Because I do the right thing. Façade. And God has a plan. Façade.

 And I’m in control.

Façade. Façade. Façade.

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About a week before the event, I broke down during a bible study I was leading. It was less than ideal. I don’t remember what triggered it, but I remember pausing before my prayer request, thinking what’s the point?

Normally, I would have shared a carefully-crafted appeal that would have been honest, but not too needy. Because ain’t nobody got time for neediness in prayer and community, am I right?

In hindsight, if I had been able to articulate my thoughts, I would have said this: if God is my father—not just fatherly, but my father who loves me and is for me—then why are my circumstances this painful? If being faithful mattered, then why does my life seem harder with faith than it ever was without?

But that night I was broken, exhausted, angry, and for once, I really didn’t care what people thought. I think I said something more like this: I’ve got nothing. Really. I give up.

No one said anything, but one especially-empathetic friend cried alongside me and prayed through her tears on my behalf. Another woman emailed me the next day, graciously taking over the service event without further question.

When I was no longer responsible for the event, I felt a mixed bag of relief, embarrassment, and defeat. It’s not that I was handing it over to someone less than capable—it’s that I realized it was yet another thing I was finding my identity in. It was another label that was being stripped away: now no longer useful or helpful even in ministry.

What could I still turn to for identity and worth?

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The night of the event, I decided that I didn’t even want to go. Two things kept me from skipping: the guilt of bailing on someone when I know how that feels, and my roommate asking if I wanted to walk down together.

 I decided I would go, help set up, tell people hi, and then sneak out. But, as with many of my plans, that’s not how the night played out.

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At the event, I reached a new level of unhelpfulness. I sat down and started painting a flowerpot meant for the residents, eyes cast downward. Soon, a resident I didn’t know passed through the common area. We invited him to paint a flowerpot. He told us it wasn’t his thing, but he’d sit with us anyway.

I’ll call him Barry.

When I found Barry later at a table apart from the rest of the group, we began talking about children’s ministries. This led him to share his memory of going to church and professing faith at the early age of six.

He then shared stories about his family and told me of some of the tragedies he’s endured. He even told me about the many times he’s felt like he stood alone, defending and resting in the authority of scripture.

At some point, Barry opened up about his first and only love and the aches of never being married when he deeply desired it. He told me that at times, he’s felt like he’s been faithful and yet God failed to show up.

(We also discussed Oprah.)

With each story, Barry was increasingly honest about his struggle to understand God’s plan for his life. With each confession, however, the depth and strength of his faith became more apparent. He spoke about faith in a way I don’t often hear in the church. He wasn’t offering platitudes; he was sharing a lifetime of death, rejection, loneliness.

And yet, at every step, he also professed the greatness of God. He testified to God’s faithfulness. When I shared my awe at his passion, he reminded me that faith is a gift that anyone can ask for. It was like reading a psalm. In one breath Barry confessed his struggle to understand and with the next he proclaimed God’s glory.

I gradually became very quiet, alternately biting my lip and popping my jaw to keep tears from falling. (I cry a lot so this isn’t extraordinary, but still…things were happening.)

What Barry didn’t realize was that he was speaking to desperate prayers that I’d been praying for the previous two months, and in many ways, the two years before that.

I stopped Barry to confess that I’d been struggling with loneliness, a broken heart, and longing to know why God failed to show up when I’d tried so hard to be faithful.

Where was God?

Barry nodded, listening to my story as I had his. He seemed a little surprised by the details, but didn’t offer any cross-stitched verses. When I was done, he simply confirmed that some seasons are tough. He encouraged me to believe beyond my circumstances and to cling to what I knew to be true, especially when I didn’t feel it.

I was awed that despite our many differences—age, race, sex, socioeconomic status—we faced similar challenges with faith. Our shared loneliness made me feel a bit less lonely. In fact, for the first time in months, I felt quite known.

Barry and I talked for more than two hours, long after the event was over. We continued to talk about faith, we talked about hymns, and at some point we had an in-depth discussion about Dallas: really though, who killed JR?

He preached the gospel to me, and because he did so with such earnestness and at a time when my very-raw heart was desperate for it, it’s a conversation I will carry with me forever.

---

That’s the whole story—or at least the main plot points—but it was more than just a conversation for me.

My words now are inadequate reporters of the comfort and deep peace I felt that evening. It was a reminder that God is simultaneously big and in the details. He made the mountains and yet he knows the deepest over-thinkings of my heart (and loves me still!). He is an intentional God who used an unexpected interaction to answer the silent questions I thought had gone unheard.

And listen, it’s not as if I got any of the “stuff” I was lamenting. God’s answer to my prayer was not I will give you sleep; I will give you a companion; I will give you success.

Actually, it was better than that.

It was as if God had heard my heart’s pleas and whispered back: I hear you. I hear your cries. You matter. And I’m not done with you yet. Keep going. Keep trusting. You aren’t by yourself. Ever.

Sometimes, when I look for God and am disappointed, I think it’s because I’m actually looking for a golden calf instead. What I mean is that I’m looking for comfort in comfortable things instead of looking for comfort in God. In those instances, God serves only as a vehicle to other things I believe will make me happy (instead of God Himself).

When I left the Epiphany House, there was no change in my circumstances. I still couldn’t sleep; my heart was still broken—although maybe now not so crushed; and I still didn’t understand the reasons behind any of it (and maybe I never will).

And yet, I left that event comforted, known, and more energized than I’d felt in months. My heart was full, when it had felt empty only hours before.

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This entire experience has not only challenged my understanding of God, but has also changed my perspective on service. I used to think service was about helping those less fortunate: I have things. You need things. Let me help you. Oh yeah, and you’re welcome.

Then I learned service isn’t really about the “haves” and “have nots,” because the Gospel unites us all. We’re all needy for a savior no matter what our position in life. We serve others not because of what divides us, but because of what we have in common.

Practically, however, I think my heart has tangled these messages along with my bent toward legalism, and I’ve approached service with an exhausted and joyless attitude.

I now think we aren’t just called to serve because we all need God. We’re also called to serve others because we need each other. This stranger soothed my soul with his faith and his kindness in ways that none of my friends or family could have. And that’s not a slight to anyone. Could God have used others? Yes, of course. But He didn’t.

Through this experience and a few others this spring, I was forced to face my brokenness, opening my eyes further to the lonely in our city and community. Whether you can see it outwardly or not, many of our friends and neighbors, including those at the Epiphany House, experience profound loneliness on a regular basis.

As neighbors, I don’t believe it’s enough to say well here’s the Gospel; it’s for everyone, good luck. Community, and in turn, service, means entering into the messiness with each other, even when we’re not sure what we’ll find on the other side.

In a world of coffee house concerts and young professional happy hours, our game nights at the Epiphany House may be the least-sexy event City Church hosts. I feel like I’m weirdly defending the ministry constantly, all the while I’m wondering myself are we really doing anything there? Why do I keep pushing this?

The truth is that the needs of our community and city overwhelm me. I’ve had little to no understanding of the ways I could even begin to meet the needs of the hungry, the poor, and the sick. I’ve focused so much on how to fix problems, that I’ve forgotten how to first love others. And why I love others.

What if service is as much about not trying to fix “the mess” as it is about fixing things and addressing needs? What I mean is yes, action is important (including showing up). We are called to care for the sick and needy. But, at least for other doers and fixers like me, service is also about realizing that we don’t actually do the hard work.

Our job is to show up, try our best, and appreciate the ways God chooses to use our gifts and talents. The Holy Spirit is really in charge of the heavy lifting.

I showed up with nothing to offer except a listening ear and an eventual-willingness to confess my doubt and questions. Barry showed up not wanting snacks or flowerpots. He wanted to share his story with someone.

And it mattered. It made a difference.

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It’s been four months, and that conversation still hangs with me. What though, have I done with this new understanding of service since April?

The answer is a sad one: not much.

In many ways, I’ve easily reverted back to my self-reliance and my but I’m so busy…it’s someone else’s turn to care about that stuff mentality. I offer no defense or celebration of that attitude.

Wait. Hold up. This woman writes an entire essay about service…and she hasn’t done anything in four months? What a hypocrite!

Well, yes. I’m inclined to agree with you…to a point.

But try to hear me out on one more thing: this is why we have to talk about service. Writing this story has served as a reminder to me of the experience and why this experience was so powerful.

I need reminders. Even the most amazing truth—say being saved by grace from a life of damnation—can fade into commonplace without regular reminders. Even as I’m writing this in a coffeeshop now, a stranger keeps fighting for my attention. I keep getting annoyed with him thinking, stop bothering me! I’m trying to write something really important about loving people!

Oh…wait…(God is funny and puts me in my place often.)

I needed Barry to remind me about the gospel. I need this community to remind me about the importance of service. And I need service to remind me about my humble position before God.

I need. I need. I need. I am needy—are you getting it?

At the beginning of this post, I said I felt compelled to share this with you. Why? Because maybe, just maybe, some of you are like me. Maybe you think you have to wait to serve until you feel like it. Until your life is less busy. Until you find the service event that really lines up with your talents and your passions. And maybe there’s some truth in that…but I’m going to challenge you anyway and say maybe you’re as wrong as I was.

Maybe that’s sort of the same thing as saying you have to wait to come to God until you’re all cleaned up and put together. Maybe it’s that wrong.

We are human beings who cannot begin to get things right without the work of Christ. And yet, we get to try to love others and serve them, because we no longer have to fear getting it right. What beautiful juxtaposition and confusing grace that is!

When you serve, you don’t have to come with checklists, casseroles, good conversation, or even good feelings. Jesus multiplied five fish and two loaves, he can multiply your offerings into something much greater, too.

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Now, it may go without saying, but in the interest of reminders (and so that the elders don’t call me), I need to say this: service is an outpouring of the grace poured on us, but it’s not a requirement for that grace. Even serving can become a temptation to try to use “good works” to earn something that can’t be earned, especially if you’re a doer like I am.

What I’m trying to illustrate with my story, however, is that although service is done out of gratitude, sometimes you have to show up out of duty, for all the wrong reasons, before your eyes are opened up to the joy and power of gratitude. God can use you when you come for the right reasons, but he’ll also use you when you come for the wrong ones (the latter might just be a bit more uncomfortable than the former…).

Listen, I am by no means a seasoned Christian (and an even less-seasoned adult). I come to you as someone who fails a lot. I come to you as someone who clings to the rules to keep her safe and struggles to rest in work that’s already done. I come to you as someone who would rather watch Dawson’s Creek than talk to anyone after a long day at work, much less serve. I come to you with all the ways I’m a hypocrite and blind to my own sin.

I am not the measure of getting this right—I might actually the measure of getting it wrong. But still, I feel compelled to remind us all to serve, even when…

Serve when you feel like it. Serve when your heart is so full of grace and gratitude that it overflows into everything you do.

But also, serve when your heart is completely broken. Serve when it hurts to leave the house. Serve when you’re not sure if God is real or if he can hear you.

Serve when you have thoughts you dare not tell your closest friends because you think you go to a super-certain-of-truth-at-all-times, people-never-struggle-with-real-sin church.

Just serve. Simply show up.

Show up needy. Show up broken. Show up if you have an attitude problem like I do. Just show up. Ready to serve. Ready to love. Ready to let God do all the rest.

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Michelle Junot is a member of City Church of Baltimore and the author of two books: and the floor was always lava and Notes from My Phone*.

To learn more about the Epiphany House ministries or other service opportunities with City Church, please contact us here.

Serve the City Baltimore

ABOUT SERVE THE CITY BALTIMORE

We are all aware of Baltimore City's many areas of needs. Fortunately, there are a lot of organizations seeking to meet these needs, but hands are required to help their missions come to fruition. So why not help out the existing organizations instead of starting one more?

That's the mission of Serve the City Baltimore. Serve the City Baltimore connects volunteers to the organizations that strive to better our city through service events and projects. Some of the organizations Serve the City Baltimore has connected with volunteers include Second Chance, The Well, Believe in Tomorrow, Safe House of Hope, and Somebody Cares Baltimore.

Serve the City Baltimore has aided the poverty-stricken, homeless, and trafficked population in our beloved Baltimore, but instead of knowing this community by their needs, Serve the City Baltimore aims to know them by their names. Their mentality with serving is that we are all broken and just as broken as those whose needs we are serving. The organization also strives to cross the physical and non-physical boundaries in order to serve.

HOPE FOR SERVE THE CITY BALTIMORE

Right now, Serve the City Baltimore mostly plans service events and distributes volunteers to the connected organizations depending on how many show up on the day. Typically, they host one event in the fall and one in the spring, but the organization would love to one day serve our neighbors through ongoing service projects year round.

GET INVOLVED

Interested in serving our city? Here are a few upcoming events to get involved in:

• Spring Service Day - Saturday, April 2. Click HERE for more information from Serve the City Baltimore's website. 
• Dewees Park Service Project - Saturday, April 2. This is a special service project that the City Church community has the opportunity to take part in. Click HERE for more information on how to get involved.

For inquiries regarding volunteer opportunities with Serve the City Baltimore, contact Erin Preshoot at erin@servethecitybaltimore.org or visit Serve the City Baltimore for more information and fill out a Volunteer Opportunities Form.

Help prevent & address human trafficking with Araminta

ABOUT ARAMINTA FREEDOM INITIATIVE

Araminta Freedom Initiative seeks to awaken, equip and mobilize the Church and our community to end Human Trafficking in the Baltimore area. They engage in the prevention of the sexual exploitation of minors, the systemic economic deterrence of the business of human trafficking, intervention and rescue of those held against their will and provision of aftercare initiatives that provide healing and wholeness to victims.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer Training – Awaken, Equip, Mobilize (begins September 17): Araminta Freedom Initiative prepares people to be Araminta volunteers by covering the following topics: scope of the issue and current responses; understanding victims, traffickers and buyers; cultural awareness context and the influence of the commercial sex trade on DMST; current legislation, law enforcement’s response and legislative gaps; and, Araminta engagement opportunity descriptions and sign-ups. After completing this training, participants are qualified to volunteer in one of the following areas: aftercare, prevention education and awareness, training facilitation and research, economic deterrence and/or church engagement.

Connect: Receive the general Araminta email for future opportunities and news: contact Stephanie Green (greens@aramintafreedom.org) to be added to this list.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES

Be alerted when needs arise: Receive emails where you can help meet very real and tangible needs of trafficking survivors in the Baltimore region

Provide lunch to survivors: Sign up to drop off lunch to survivors at their drop in center on Monday and Wednesday afternoons

Be a part of the prayer team: Araminta has an active prayer team that meets together in addition to receiving emails of ongoing prayer needs related to Araminta and survivor services in the region.

To be included on any of these communications, or if you have any questions, please contact Araminta's Director of Volunteer Programs Sarah Batley at batleys@aramintafreedom.org.

Be a part of a growing ministry to teen moms in Baltimore City

ABOUT

YoungLives Baltimore is a community outreach that comes alongside teen parents and their children in order to help meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. YoungLives offers authentic one on one relationships to each teen mom in order to provide individualized support, encouragement and knowledge of the love of God. Their aim is to offer every teen mom a unique friendship in a fun filled, safe and loving environment.

GET INVOLVED

Provide Transportation 1x/month: Baltimore Young Lives is in need of drivers for their club meetings during the school year. Club is one Saturday morning a month. Drivers are assigned one or multiple girls to pick up and drop off at club, stay and hang out during club and then provide transportation home.

Lead: Become a mentor to a teen mom as she navigates life and learn about God's love for them.

If anyone is interested in serving YoungLives, please email Courtney Sobus at courtneysobus@gmail.com.

Come alongside a ministry to teens in Baltimore City

ABOUT

Baltimore City Young Life follows the mission of “introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.” Teens in Baltimore face unique challenges, complicated by the fact that an overwhelming majority of them are growing up without fathers in their homes. Young Life in Baltimore City approaches ministry with a unique strategy to effectively minister to these young people.

During the fall, Baltimore City Young Life hosts a couple of events per week with students. They want to provide snacks at both events so that kids can always leave with a full stomach. If you're interested in serving this ministry in this simple way and empowering the leaders to continue reaching kids with the Gospel, or even becoming a leader yourself, please contact Josh Goodman at joshwgoodman@gmail.com.

Tutor once a week with Pen Lucy Action Network

ABOUT

The Pen Lucy Action Network’s mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by providing educational, social and economic development opportunities to youth and families in Pen Lucy and Baltimore. PLAN is the community development ministry of Faith Christian Fellowship.

PLAN is looking for tutors to be assigned to a student and to meet with him/her once a week. Meetings occur at a local church and involve games, devotionals and then one on one homework assistance. Tutors also work through an online tutoring program with their assigned student. No teaching or subject area expertise needed as curriculum is self explanatory and provided. The sooner volunteers notify PLAN of their availability, the more students they can accept into the program. PLAN functions on a semester schedule with fall and spring sessions every year.

Let us know if you are interested and we will put you in touch with the people at PLAN!

Assist with Reading Club for kids 6-11 once a week

ABOUT

The 29th Street Community Center is looking for volunteers for its Reading Club for kids age 6-11.

DATES/TIMES

This club meets Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. every week.

Let us know if you're interested and we'll put you in touch with the folks at the 29th Street Community Center! 

Assist with jump rope program, Jump 4 Joy

ABOUT

The 29th Street Community Center is looking for volunteers to assist with their jumprope program, Jump 4 Joy, which involves kids 6-15. 

DATES & TIMES

Saturdays from 10:45 a.m to 12 p.m.

Let us know if you're interested and we'll put you in touch with the folks at the 29th Street Community Center!

Serve as a distribution volunteer at North East Food Pantry

ABOUT

GEDCO’s North East Food Pantry serves individuals in crisis by connecting customers with emergency food relief that will enable movement towards self-sufficiency. North East Food Pantry is in need of some volunteers for daytime distribution.

DATES & TIMES

North East is open from 10:30am-1:30pm Monday-Friday, and he is looking for 2-3 volunteers to help during those times.

If you're interested in volunteering, please email Nate Fitzgerald of GEDCO at nfitzgerald@gedco.org.

Summer 2015: Provide guidance to youth workers at the 29th Street Community Center

ABOUT

The 29th Street Community Center has hired a group of youth workers to volunteer over the summer. For many of them, this is their first job. They are in need of guidance. Particularly, a group of students are working to put together a Youth Edition of the Harwood Voice Newsletter. There are a couple of volunteers that help out occasionally, but more coverage is needed. They need someone to sit with them, make sure they’re on task and assist them with the process of writing an article (i.e. research, editing, design, layout).

DATES & TIMES

7/6 - 9-2:30 (Need adults to walk with students as they advertise and register people for Fish Fry event and complete surveys about perceptions of the center)

7/7 – 9-2:30 Fish Fry/Center Surveys

7/8 – 12:30-1:30 Fish Fry/Center Surveys, 1:30-4:30 UMD College Tour (Could use 2 drivers!!!)

7/9 – 9-2:30 Fish Fry/Center Surveys

7/10 – 9-2:30 (Need adult to assist volunteer who is coming in to teach computer skills/website design for the Harwood Community Association – does not require computer skills, they have someone teaching that!)

7/13 – 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/14 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/15 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/16 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/17 – 1-2:30 (Need adult to assist volunteer who is coming in to teach computer skills/website design for the Harwood Community Association – does not require computer skills, someone will be teaching that!)

7/20 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/21 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/22 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/23 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/24 – 1-2:30 (Need adult to assist volunteer who is coming in to teach computer skills/website design for the Harwood Community Association – does not require computer skills, we already have someone teaching that!!!)

7/27 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work (Potentially going on college tour at Goucher, so this day is tentative – could eventually use drivers)

7/28 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/29 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

7/30 - 1-2:30 Harwood Newsletter work

Let us know if you are interested or available for one or several of those time slots and we will put you in touch with the people at the 29th Street Community Center!

Help lead an early childhood program once a week

ABOUT

The 29th Street Community Center is looking for interested volunteers to be trained to assist with and lead an early childhood program called Mother Goose on the Loose. The program involves interactive story time with reading, songs & nursery rhymes. The 29th Street Community Center staff would provide the scheduling and organizational side of things, but they are looking for volunteers who are interested in stepping into a higher responsibility volunteer position on a weekly basis. 

DATES & TIMES

Volunteers would need to be trained prior to the end of September 2015 and be able to take over the program at that point. The program meets Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the 29th Street Community Center.

Let us know if you are interested and we will connect you with the folks at the 29th Street Community Center!

Share the Gospel in Baltimore's independent schools

About FOCUS

FOCUS has been in Baltimore for over 35 years, providing independent school students a way to address important questions about life with mentors and peers. FOCUS sponsors activities and events for independent school students in the area with the intention of sharing the Gospel in a way that is relevant and exciting. Staff and volunteers also meet regularly with students on their campuses.

Get Involved

With over 20 independent schools in Baltimore, the need for relational ministries like FOCUS is huge, especially within City Church’s surrounding neighborhoods. If anyone is interested in getting involved, they can contact Tim Foster at tfoster@infocus.org.

Serve with FCA Lacrosse in Baltimore

About FCA Lacrosse

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a sports ministry with the vision of "seeing the world impacted for Jesus Christ through the influence of coaches and athletes.” The FCA Lacrosse ministry focuses specifically on those in the lacrosse community through teams, camps, clinics and discipleship. Through these mediums, FCA Lacrosse seeks to build relationships with coaches, athletes and families while leading them in to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Baltimore, FCA runs a club lacrosse program that impacts over 250 families in the community. This club currently hosts 12 teams that compete year round. Throughout the season, FCA players are engaged in regular Bible study, service opportunities and even a winter retreat. FCA coaches are engaged in regular Bible study and training that equips them to lead in a godly manner. Parents are also engaged in devotionals so that they may soberly lead their child through the craziness of youth sports.

Get Involved

Contact Matt Emerson if you are interested in getting involved with FCA Lacrosse in Baltimore by emailing mattemerson828@gmail.com