"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
Luke 10:27
Who is our neighbor? How did Jesus define neighbor? Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29–37 to redefine who qualifies as our neighbor, Jesus makes it clear in this parable that our neighbor is anyone around us, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or socio-economic status.
In 2007 God called and ECC answered. Our outreach ministry to our neighbors was officially “born” in August of 2007 as we began to volunteer at Miller Elementary School in the lunchroom and at recess. Sixteen plus years later we are still there, and God has directed us to expand what we do in ways we would never have imagined. When God speaks and you listen, He can do amazing things.
God has shown us favor over the years. We’ve worked with at least six different principals at Miller and have been welcomed with open arms by all of them. We’ve received grants of various sizes to start new or expand initiatives. We’ve partnered with other entities to enhance what we do. God is good and He continues to shine His blessings on us.
A look at what serving our neighbors looks like:
Backpacks: Every week during the school year, ECC volunteers pack around 100 bags of food to send home with Miller students.
Classrooms: Several ECC volunteers help in individual classrooms each week during the school year.
Family Meals at Miller: Twelve individuals help serve a meal to families at evening events at the school. It was monthly for quite a few years. This year it is bi-monthly.
Afterschool JAM: Each week during the school year, 14 children from Miller meet together with ECC volunteers. JAM provides a safe environment where the children can feel loved and cared for as they learn important life lessons from the Bible.
Staff Appreciation: ECC provides small gifts and lunches/dinners at various times over the school year to offer our support to the wonderful staff at Miller.
Carnivals: ECC partners with Miller School and Bauer Community Center to host a Back To School Carnival and a Pancake Breakfast/Spring Carnival each year.
Bauer Family Dinner: EVERY THURSDAY throughout the year (except holidays) ECC volunteers serve a hot meal to children, families, and individuals.
Housing Ministry: ECC, now through Covenant Community Development Corporation, provides low rent housing for two Miller families and nine children, who were experiencing housing insecurity. We provide encouragement and support to families. This ministry continues to grow and expand.
Summer XP: Volunteers come to Miller in June to allow ECC and Miller children to attend our Bible based programming in a fun filled environment.
What Our Team Members Are Saying:
Fran Nance: “Volunteering at Bauer and Miller Elementary brings joy to my heart. It is an honor to serve the families and individuals that come to the dinners.”
Mark & Reba Kinder: “Volunteering at Bauer gives us a sense of serving through the church. It seems once you are involved with the Thursday night meal, you just can’t quit. It becomes a part of your life. We certainly enjoy getting to know our dinner guests and look forward to seeing them every week. They become our second family.”
Keth & Merry Sapp: “We know there are way too many children who go hungry, especially on the weekend when they are not at school getting breakfast and lunch there. We feel good about the backpack program and our involvement packing bags of food provided by Food Finders for the kids at Miller Elementary School so they can have some food to help support their nutritional needs over the weekend. Volunteering allows us to help those less fortunate and make a difference in their lives, hopefully making someone’s day brighter.”
As we look to the future, we see God’s hand on us in the past and KNOW that He will continue to lead us in the direction He desires for us. The hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” describes how God has shown up for ECC as we seek to love our neighbors. “Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I (we)see. All I (we) have needed your hand has provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me (us).”
Your continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated. If you have not yet had the privilege of serving with us, I’d encourage you to pray about where God might have you plug in.
An Immediate Need:
On Saturday, April 13 we will be co-hosting a Pancake Breakfast and Spring Carnival for the families at Miller Elementary School. At the time of this writing, we are still in need of volunteers to help with the games and pancake breakfast. Please sign up here if you can help. It’s a great way for ECC families and individuals to serve and to bring joy to the Miller families that attend. This is one small way we can show God’s love to our neighbors.