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Thawing Hearts for Jesus

Arlington Countryside Helps Neighbors Winterize While Thawing Hearts for Jesus...

“This was our first Faith in Action day – and it’s spurring us on to more service,” said Scott Williams, worship arts pastor at Arlington Countryside Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. “It gave us a chance to get out in the community and do the things that Jesus would do if he was here, and it helped us make some valuable ongoing contacts.”

Arlington Church prepared for their Oct. 12, 2008 Faith in Action Day with special small group sessions geared to putting their faith and beliefs into action. Out of 250 members, 120 showed up ready to work that Sunday. Morning services were cancelled, although a group of older adults prayed through the morning for the workers and the various projects.

“One of our biggest projects was collecting non-perishable foods for the Wheeling Township food pantry,” Williams explained. “We placed fliers on front doors ahead of time, explaining that we’d be back on Sunday to pick up their donation. Then our youth group and other families simply went door to door. It was a great way to meet our neighbors and explain what we were doing and why.”

Other teams divided their time between ten homes that needed various repairs. Some of the members had requested help for their neighbors; other names came through the local food pantry and township.

Some groups cleaned out gutters and put in storm windows, helping residents winterize their homes. Other teams cleaned up yards, hauling away debris. Another team worked the entire day helping a family whose basement had flooded; they gutted the basement, hauled away the rubble and helped begin reconstruction.

“Our township contacts told us that they’d been hoping for a church to step up and help,” Williams explained. “Throughout the year, they receive requests from various residents – some elderly, some handicapped, most needing help with even simple things like shoveling snow. They now have us ‘on call’ to help out however we can.”

Williams said Arlington Church “loved getting their hands dirty, worshiping God through their actions.” It was an eye-opening experience for many church members; they saw the need to be involved and the value of helping.

“Even an activity as simple as cleaning out gutters, when it’s done in Jesus’ name, can be used by God in his own time,” Williams summed up.