Not for Ourselves
I have a privilege most people don’t. When people are in need, the back of my car usually fills up. It has been filled to the brim with things that people need—people who matter, who are loved by Jesus, and who should be loved by the people that follow him.
It has been full of backpacks for children during our annual Backpack Drive about a dozen times. It has been full of landscaping equipment to help the elderly. It has been full of food for the hungry. When people are in need, the back of my car fills up thanks to so many in this church family coming together to step up and help out. And it is a privilege to see it.
I’m not sure what your idea of the church is or what your experience with the church is (and if it is negative, I am truly sorry). But for me, the back of my car filled to the brim with things given to care for those in need is my idea of the church and my experience with the church. My car filled with things lovingly and sacrificially given to people who matter is my experience. And I am grateful to see it.
East River High School reached out to us a few weeks ago and said they are hosting spring break tutoring sessions and asked if we could help to provide snacks and water for students. Though the response to COVID-19 changed circumstances for so many in the time that followed, the Waterford congregation continued their outpouring of donations, adding to what had already been piling up in the Lobby in the weeks before. ERHS was still able to hold study sessions for their students. They still needed the food and support for three days. And our church didn’t keep for themselves—they gave for others. As news about the virus grew and uncertainty grew, generosity grew with it. And the back of my car filled up again.
In a time when people are stockpiling out of fear and self-preservation, I’m so thankful for my Summit Waterford family. I was able to drop off hundreds of snacks and bottles of water at East River High School to a thankful staff ready to care for students in our community. Then the next day, a group of us, with help from our friends at The Meatball Stoppe, went to East River High School to serve lunch to around 150 students. Their spring break event was adjusted as the school managed social distancing recommendations, and the students were doing their best to learn in this time. They were as kind as they were surprised.
Jesus once said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).
And Martin Luther King Jr., reflecting on Jesus’s words, once said, “… by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. ... You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.”
Friends, in this time and place, let’s keep striving for that greatness.
Garry Abbott is the Waterford Campus Pastor at Summit Church. Garry started feeding birds a year or so ago and feels like his transformation into becoming his grandfather is nearly complete, though he does still hate squirrels because they are unpredictable. He also enjoys cleaning and watching his son run track.
If you would like to share how you’ve seen God work in your community in this season, email us at communications@summitconnect.org!