Impact requires investing

This past weekend I had the chance to help lead a neighborhood service event through Rivers Crossing Community Church. We mowed, pulled weeds, and helped do yardwork throughout a local neighborhood. But it was so much more than that!

The Monday before we went door-to-door telling people in the neighborhood that we would be coming on Saturday and would be in the neighborhood to meet people and ‘love on them’. We gave them a doorhanger to put out if they wanted to participate. Many responded by saying, “I remember all of you coming here and doing this before”, many were friendly but a little bit suspicious and guarded and some were interested.

Saturday morning we checked for doorhangers…6 houses. As we descended into the neighborhood, people became curious as they sat outside, watching an army of mowers, weeders, and edgers tackle lawns. We knocked on doors, talked to people, shared why we were there (simply to ‘do’–no strings attached!). Walls came down, people engaged and we were welcomed into helping at an estimated 40 houses in a neighborhood of 75 homes!

But it was so much more than the number of houses. We had time to meet the neighbors, hear some of their stories, and see God at work. There was the wife whose husband had just injured his shoulder and would not be able to mow. The family who accepted our offer, but were more thrilled that we could take care of their neighbor’s yard because they were elderly and had just moved into a nursing home. There was also the father who could spend a little much needed time with his pregnant wife and their young children, simply playing with sidewalk chalk in their driveway. As we finished in the neighborhood, a group drove past a nearby house and decided they would do a little “extra”. In that home was a man who had recently lost his wife and was completely overwhelmed with all he had to do with his kids and mother living with him. Taking care of his lawn was one thing we could take off his plate.

After we finished, the following email was received through the church website…

Hello,

My name is XXXX and I live at XXXX . I cannot thank you all enough for coming to my house today and pulling weeds, making my yard look much better.  I also saw a group from your church doing a lot of work in my neighbors’ yards, too. I am so impressed. Over the years, a number of people have periodically come into our neighborhood from  various churches, asking us to join their congregation. None ever did anything like what you all did!

I am going through a very tough time in my life and I have been working to make sense of it all, especially my spiritual life/relationship with God. I have also been trying to find a church where I can be with others and have a relationship with God. After witnessing what I saw today, I am very interested in learning more about joining your church. If someone could contact me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks again. I am still amazed at what I saw today.

Real impact takes time. It takes effort. It takes building relationships and risking to step into people’s lives. It’s too easy to not invest in people, to focus on a task, or to have an idea and spend all our energy and resources on getting people to follow. When we take the time to meet needs, to truly care, and to throw out our agenda…that’s when lives are changed.