Connecting With: Bringing the Church to the Community

Stopping for my daily cup of coffee at the corner gas station, I greeted Leslie and Phil, two employees I'd been inviting to church for a year or so. Then, just as I was about to add my second shot of cinnamon hazelnut creamer, something unexpected happened. Another sleepy early riser grabbed the cinnamon container at the same time I did, which began a friendly bit of conversation. It ended with me purchasing his coffee and offering him a Kindness Card from Gracepointe Church of the Nazarene"a reminder of God's love, no strings attached. He thanked me and glanced at the directions on the back.

"Where's Gracepointe?"

I explained that it was less than 200 yards away from where we were standing.

He grinned as he admitted, "I've been driving past that building almost every day for the last four years."

This revealing encounter brought a challenge to my mind.

If our church building disappeared from the neighborhood overnight, would anyone miss us?

Would they even notice? Does our church contribute in any way to the lives of our neighbors and local businesses? At Gracepointe, we are committed to changing our approach to outreach in order to become an active part of our community. We don't do this just so they recognize us as a church, but rather so people will know that we care about them personally.

Here are some ways Gracepointe Church of the Nazarene practices personal outreach:

• Big Serve. Ask community and civic leaders what homes, streets, or businesses need cleaning or repair. Designate a day of service to the community.
• Christmas Toys for Area Shelters. Shelters value assistance with Christmas gifts for their residents.
• Drive-thru Donuts. Serve fresh donuts and coffee to commuters at a four-way stop sign near the church.
• Neighbor-2-Neighbor. Personal invitation to a special event at church. Include ministry brochures and a small gift.
• Angel Food Ministry. The goal is to help neighbors who need a hand in a tough economic time. Angel Food Ministries currently operates in a number of areas and helps feed over 500,000 families a month. Homepage | Project Angel Food
• Kindness Cards. Buy a meal or coffee for the person behind you in the drive-thru, or help someone in need. Leave behind a Kindness Card that says, "Just a little way of showing God's love." Make sure the card includes your church web address and phone number, worship information, and driving directions.
• Indoor or Outdoor Movie Night. Encourage people to bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy a free family movie, popcorn, and giveaways.
• Backpacks for Elementary School Children. Work with local schools to provide backpacks to school counselors to hand out as needed.
• Trunk or Treat. Church families decorate car trunks and provide candy for a Halloween alternative. Add inflatable slides, games, and a hayride for a complete party. Similar community celebrations or neighborhood block parties can be held any time of the year.
• Easter Egg Hunt. Offer an egg hunt, games, snacks, prizes, and pictures.
• Upward. Upward sports ministry promotes salvation, character, and self-esteem in boys and girls. Upward offers basketball, cheerleading, soccer, and flag football programs. www.upward.org

Call it outreach, reach out, or compassionate evangelism-the title doesn't matter. The critical issue is making positive connections with every family and business owner in your neighborhood.

For more details visit www.gracepointe.com and select "Community Connections."

Don Diehl is senior pastor of Gracepointe Church of the Nazarene in Loganville, Georgia.

Holiness Today, March/April 2008

Please note: This article was originally published in 2008. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.