An Outstretched Hand | The Vision, Part 4
A meal seems like such a simple thing, but it can mean so much. I learned this a couple of months ago when a small crew of Summit staff showed up to Colonial High School to serve lunch for teachers and staff on their first day back to school.
Right now, we’re taking a deep dive into our vision as a church through a series of blogs about each aspect of the vision. Our vision at Summit is to form biblically functioning communities that reach lost people, connect in Christ-centered relationships, teach truth, serve others, and worship God. Today, we’re looking at the fourth aspect—serving others.
Normally, high school campuses are loud and you can feel the electricity of nerves and excitement that come with the first day back from summer vacation. But this particular day, it was quiet and still, with an occasional sighting of students in pajamas picking up laptops at the front office.
We pulled up with our van full of hamburgers, tents, and a large grill ready to make lunch for these anxious and isolated teachers on a sweltering August day. I was prepared to greet, encourage, and hand out water bottles but absolutely was not prepared for the wave of gratitude expressed by all those teachers. I was in disbelief that they were thanking us when we should’ve been the ones thanking them! What we realized as we talked with teachers over bags of chips and cookie trays was that, of course, they were grateful for lunch and one less thing to worry about that morning before leaving home, but far beyond that, they were just so glad we were there.
We showed up. We saw them. At a time when teachers have felt invisible as decisions about their careers and personal safety have been made without input from them, we were able to simply be present with them and show how much they matter to us. The meal was a small token of gratitude but, somehow, it was also more than that. To these teachers at Colonial, it’s almost like we were saying, “We’re not going anywhere even though things are tough. We’re here for you.” This taught me that service isn’t just “doing” something—service is connection. It’s an expression of our faith in Christ that asks us to lay down the blinders that focus us on our own worries and sit in the trenches with someone who lives a different life than ours.
“With love deeper than oceans, he has always met us where we are with grace and an outstretched hand.”
It’s taken me a long time to get out of the mindset that to serve others is simply to “do” something for them. We know that part of Summit’s vision is to serve others, and James said that faith without works is dead, right? In response, we feel a conviction to build, to teach, to clean, and to help as evidence of the heart change we’ve experienced because of Jesus. But what I’ve seen time and time again is that one of the most impactful ways we can serve is simply by showing up. During his time on earth, Jesus’ ministry with people was never transactional. We know that he healed, he resurrected, he fed. But when you dig deeper into those same actions, you’ll also see that he touched hearts, he cried, he conversed. Jesus connected. With love deeper than oceans, he has always met us where we are with grace and an outstretched hand. And what a gift it is that we get to take the love and connection God has given us and share it with others through our acts of service!
So we show up. We paint, we garden, and we do a million other things. But not with the intention to “do” and check a box so we feel good about ourselves. We do these things with the love of Christ that dwells within and we connect. We look people in the eyes, we smile (these days, under our masks, of course), we ask curious questions, and we are fully present to experience the reality of another person dearly loved by God.
We spent a lot of time this summer thinking about how to serve Colonial High School in light of our present circumstances. In the past, we’ve worked with the theater department, assisted the soccer team with getting new uniforms, and facilitated an open-air food pantry for school staff and students. But how are we supposed to serve them when the future of our typical methods is murky and uncertain?
We are eager to maintain and grow the connections we’ve cultivated with the administration and faculty at Colonial High School. So we have kept asking, “How can we help?” and so often over the past few months the response has been, “We don’t know.” This isn’t because Colonial’s administration, staff, and students haven’t been grateful for our consistent desire to show up and meet needs when they’ve arisen. It’s because they don’t know what they need. Things change all the time and this is a moment when we have to be patient because these folks haven’t had a chance to catch their breath.
Because their needs haven't been clear, we did what we’ve always done: We showed up. With a grill, drinks, and plenty of happy faces to make lunch for a campus full of faculty and staff. But more importantly, we connected with them and let them know we are on their team. And what a joy it was! We talked, we laughed, and took lunch orders. We listened and shared frustration with teachers staring down an academic year full of challenges they never could have imagined.
While there isn’t much we can “do” for Colonial right now, we are busy paying attention for opportunities to show up and connect in faithful pursuit of Summit’s vision to serve others.
Ashlyn Murphy is the Local Service Administrator at Summit Church. Did you know she once threw a surprise party for her own birthday? Iconic. If you’re interested in joining us as we continue to grow our relationship with Colonial High School, email Ashlyn at amurphy@summitconnect.org.
On Vision Sunday, we heard about how we can continue to be the Church together in this season this way. A house church is a community of folks who gather to participate in our online services together. If you are currently leading, are interested in leading, or would like to see if there is a house church near you to worship with, let us know!