I honestly never thought I’d write a post about National Train Day on Get Compelled.
On Saturday, the Indiana Transportation Museum, which is in Forest Park (Noblesville) hosted an event to celebrate National Train Day. They offered free admission for participants who brought bag of food to be donated to the Hamilton County Food Pantry Drive.
What a success! Results: three BIG boxes of food donated by Hoosier train enthusiasts. Food donations were taken to Third Phase (one of Grace’s Frontline Ministries) in Noblesville.
Not an exciting picture, but these boxes are loaded with food.
People at the Transportation Museum got it right. They put on a big event to promote their own business while thinking of others first. They could have easily scrapped the idea for the food drive, but they created their event with the least of these in mind.
If you’re reading this and you’re in Hamilton County, are there any ways for you to collect food like this? What ways can you help others in the midst of everyday happenings?
This post was written by Matt Gay. Matt and his family have been involved recently in many Outreach activities, from leading the Hamilton County Food Pantry Drive to attending a New York City Relief Trip. This is Matt’s reflection from his recent NYCR trip:
I’ve seen a lot of cool things in my life. Being an ex-professional football player in the NFL, I had the privilege to see NFL legions like Joe Montana and Marcus Allen up close. I caught passes from Joe and even intercepted his passes in practices. I’ve seen the world! I played in the World Bowl while I was in the NFL Europe. I have scored touchdowns and heard the crowd cheer my name in stadiums from Kansas to Germany. I traveled to Japan with the Kansas City Chiefs and played for the Dallas Cowboys in Texas stadium. I’ve seen Prime time Deion Sanders pull up in his tricked out bass bumpin’ golf cart. I have also seen Emmitt Smith practice with the utmost intensity. I have also experienced Michael Irvin cracking jokes in the locker room. Although I have seen and experienced all of these, what we would consider, really cool things. They are nothing compared to what I saw last weekend in New York while I was working on the New York City Relief Bus.
The coolest things I saw and experienced there were lives being changed and impacted right on the streets of New York. We were praying for people and their situations. God was using us to bring people to Christ. We were a bridge of help and hope to the community. People would walk up to one of us and ask for prayer, while on others you could see the need on their faces and you knew they needed Jesus in their life. We were even ministered to by many of the people we met, and we thought we were there to help them. God had plans to help us as well. It was a trip I will never forget and a trip I can’t wait to take again.
As I mentioned earlier, I have seen a lot of cool things in my life. but the coolest thing I have seen up close and personal was this…
This is a photo of Steve Buczkowski praying on his knees in full submission to God on a street in Newark, New Jersey. This was in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. When I saw this, I knew I was a part of something special. People knew they saw someone and something special when they visually witnessed Jesus heal cripples instantly or take disease away from the sick with a word. That is how I felt when I witnessed Steve pray the way he did. God was in that situation. God is in this photo. God was in that neighborhood and God is working in the ministry of the New York City Relief Bus. That is the coolest thing I have ever seen and ever done in my life. All the rest was garbage and a waste of time in comparison!
Today’s post was written by Sara Sterley. Sara heads up the Grace Garden and this is one of her recent musings that you can find on the Grace Garden blog. Thanks Sara!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
I love this verse. It reminds me that Christ came so that we can have this full life – both here on earth in this life and in the next. In fact, I think it hurts Him to see His creation not living life to the full here on earth, which makes me contemplate where I’m lacking individually and where we are lacking as a community of believers in exemplifying this “life to the full” to all that we meet.
This week, the IndyStar published a Letter to the Editor that particularly resonated with me. According to a recent Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) report, nearly 3,000 children in Marion County public schools qualify for services for the homeless every day. This isn’t news to us in the Grace community – Jay Height from Shepherd Community Center has been telling us long before this economic crisis began that 80 percent of the children in Shepherd’s neighborhood have two meals a day only when they are in school. I’ve been obsessing this week about what happens to all of those children when they aren’t in school.
While the statistics aren’t as readily available for Hamilton County communities, it is apparent that the need has increased dramatically over the last year by the response that Third Phase, a Grace Frontline Ministry and the largest food pantry in Hamilton County, has received in that time. The food that is collected through the Hamilton County Food Pantry Drive is delivered on Saturday, and it is often all distributed to families in need as soon as the food pantry opens for the week. In fact, Third Phase has been forced to limit the amount of food that each families receives because of the huge increase in demand. The poor in Hamilton County often fly under-the-radar, which is even more concerning because of the lack of resources and services available to low-income families living in the Indianapolis suburbs.
Tomatoes of all colors growing in the Grace Garden
All of this to say that these struggling families could use some help in living the full life that Christ came to deliver them into. Christ uses US to bring His Kingdom here on earth. He tells us that He came so that we may have life and have it to the full. I think, in helping others to meet their basic needs, not only are we helping them to live life to the full, but we have the opportunity to truly experience the life that Christ dreams for us in selflessly giving of ourselves.
The Grace Garden is a beautiful picture of what the Kingdom looks like: we provide real food for families in need, we provide good work for our volunteers, and we provide a model of creation care for the community at large.
Watermelon, zucchini, cucumber...just a few of the things growing in the Grace Garden this year.
Join us out at the Garden as we try to live the full life that Christ came to bring us – or get in the game by helping out with the many local outreach opportunities that Grace offers right here in our own backyard!
This story is a great example of a Grace attender who has been thoroughly “wrecked“. Read about her experience below.
I wanted to write to thank you for all that you and your team is doing to not only reach those in need, but also educate those of us who can help! I have learned so much in the past year or more about what we can really do. Through your teaching at Real Moms and Women’s Ministry, messages in GraceMain, the Weekend of Service, and just hearing about other outreach events, I feel somewhat prepared to respond when God brings an opportunity my way. Like today…..
I was shopping for groceries at my usual Westfield Kroger, when I smiled at a woman. She thanked me for returning the smile and then proceeded to tell me that she just lost her job and has been trying to work with a temp agency when possible, but her kids would be home soon, and she did not have anything to feed them. Noticing that she had just a few items in her cart, and tears in her eyes, I offered to buy her groceries. I was nearly finished with my own shopping, so she walked with me through the last couple of aisles. She had the makings of tacos in her cart, which she said her kids enjoyed.
I proceeded to ask her about her family. She told me that she had been to a few churches looking for help. I gave her information about Grace and asked if she was familiar with Third Phase. She was not. I wrote down for her addresses and phone numbers for both places, gave a hug, and prayed with her.
Of course I left wondering if I should have done more–make a call for her, have her follow me to Third Phase, something. I’m not sure if more was in order, but I thank God for this small opportunity to help someone directly, and for the resources our church provides. Of course I remembered that you are having the justice seminar this weekend. Thank you for continuing to educate and inspire people to help! Awareness is important, poverty is going to be impacting more people in more ways, and we will be equipped to help when the time comes! Thank you!
Feeling compelled to get involved? You can volunteer with the Hamilton County Food Pantry Drive on Saturday mornings and/or check out this website that will give you an idea of good things to donate to a food pantry.
