The Blessings We Bring
“I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:3 lays out our calling to be a blessing to others. As a church, we are stepping into this call, reaching through relationship. We’re rolling out a whole new framework for how we accomplish the “Reach” portion of Summit’s Vision Statement. In other words, in this next season we’re basing how the whole church goes about “reaching lost people” on a practical book called B.L.E.S.S.: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor, and we want everyone, I mean everyone, to read this thing!
And to get started, we thought it would be great to talk to someone who’s already read it! There’s this one volunteer at Summit Orlando who’s very loved. Along with her husband, Christos, she’s helped as a greeter on the Hospitality Team. She’s served in the Tech Booth on Sundays, and even sings on stage once a month with the Worship Team. Yes, many people will recognize Pam Zafiropoulos, aka Pam Z, aka the Pam with the long Greek last name, aka “Come on, everyone knows Pam!”
We had to interview Pam not because she’s such a great volunteer, but because her family actually came to Summit from the church in Illinois that was the first to roll out these “B.L.E.S.S.” practices over the course of more than a decade before the book was even published. Since then, the book has been used in many churches across the country, but Pam had the opportunity to see it sculpted in real time as she went to church with the actual authors back in 2010. And, we all knew this because Pam was so excited about it. In fact, when she heard that we were doing B.L.E.S.S. here I’m told she about lost it.
OK, so what even is B.L.E.S.S.? When I got the chance at a back and forth with Pam she said, “First, I have to address the acrimony towards acronyms. I've already heard comments like ‘Oh no, not another acronym. They're so cheesy!’ Those comments haven't offended me at all, because I know once people get into it, they'll see differently. Indeed, I'm excited to report, I've already gotten feedback along the lines of ‘This book didn't turn out to be what I expected at all. It's not cheesy, it's awesome!’”
It's “awesome” because it takes something daunting for many of us and makes it so simple. Pam said, “Incorporating the B.L.E.S.S. practices into our daily lives really is practical, because you don't have to overthink it. When you Begin with prayer, things begin to happen. When we take the time to Listen, really listen, barriers crumble. When we Eat a meal with others deeper connection and a sense of community is formed. When we humbly Serve others, whether it’s our neighbors, or alongside your neighbors, those connections and that sense of community is strengthened. Serving others and alongside others then creates room for us to share our Stories.”
“So, that’s it in a nutshell. “B” is Begin with Prayer. “L” is to Listen. “E” is to Eat (Pam says this is her favorite). The first “S” is Serve, and the second “S” is Story.”
So, that’s it in a nutshell. “B” is Begin with Prayer. “L” is to Listen. “E” is to Eat (Pam says this is her favorite). The first “S” is Serve, and the second “S” is Story.
Let’s be real for a minute…Some of us have had church experiences that rubbed us the wrong way when it comes to that word, we hear nowhere else but in church. You know the one, Evangelism. When I think of praying, listening, eating, serving, and sharing my story though, this stuff doesn’t sound like things I would dread. This is all stuff I might even enjoy, especially eating!
Pam had this to say, “My message to all who read this is that someone desperately needs to hear your story. Maybe you know who that is and you've been hesitant. If you don't know, God will lead you to the right people, if you… Begin with Prayer, and so on and so forth. It's a constant, moving cycle that will definitely get you out of any rut you've been in and I don't want anyone at Summit to miss out on the blessings that await them!
This might be what a lot of us have missed. When many of us think of evangelism, we think of tracks being thrown at strangers. We think of awkward, forced conversations. We think of random knocks at the door that come with fear, uncertainty, and yes, more awkward conversations. When Pam talks about B.L.E.S.S. though she talks about how living out these practices really enriched her own family.
She talks about how living this out with others leads to blessings not only for the people we’re praying for in our community, but us too because what we’re really doing is forming relationships, friendships even. And, friendships naturally go both ways. She says this is amplified when B.L.E.S.S. is used in small group settings as well.
“I was once part of a mega church, but not involved in any small groups. I know what it’s like to attend church, be surrounded by people, yet feel lonely. I assumed they were cliques and probably not very friendly. I didn’t want anyone up in my personal life, either. I didn’t have anything to hide, I was just introverting hard. I understand now, that I probably missed out on a lot of goodness.”
— Pam Z.
“I was once part of a mega church, but not involved in any small groups. I know what it's like to attend church, be surrounded by people, yet feel lonely. I assumed they were cliques and probably not very friendly. I didn't want anyone up in my personal life, either. I didn't have anything to hide, I was just introverting hard. I understand now, that I probably missed out on a lot of goodness.”
Taking the time to count up 20 different small groups Pam had joined over the years, ranging from book studies to a married couple’s group to a moms of special needs group to a long-time neighborhood group, she recounted all the ways she’d been blessed by the decision to step out and connect, “…Some of those groups saved me from going through really rough patches on my own.”
Soon, Summit will be launching some of our own “BLESSing Groups” where we’ll be encouraging the congregation to move through the B.L.E.S.S. material together, and trying to live out these principles. It’s a big undertaking, but we’re excited to see what God does in this next season of ministry.
“I believe God will move in ways beyond anyone's imagination or expectation. Neighborhoods are going to be changed…Long standing conflicts and misunderstandings will be resolved. Incredible connections will be made. We all have a part in this mission of helping people find their way back to God. We’re ALL called. Not just the staff and those you see stepping up. We all have God-given gifts and talents that he gave us to benefit those we do life with.”
Pam really believes that if we lean into these ways of doing life Summit will flourish in so many ways in the next season, but it all starts with that personal step of faith. Then, as we begin to pray, listen, eat with others, serve alongside our new friends, and share our God given stories, we’ll get to witness first-hand how he might multiply the blessings we bring.