I have a vision for seeing what I am calling an “army of servants” or “volunteer ambassadors” raised up to partner with us at ServeNow to accomplish what we believe God has put on our hearts to accomplish.
I realized not long after I started working with ServeNow that the passage Jesus stood up and read from in the synagogue in his hometown is exactly what ServeNow in its various projects is really all about. Luke 4:18-19 (a quote from Isaiah 61) says: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is God’s heart and what His Spirit does and wants to do through our lives as we step out to serve him. And this is the “heartbeat” of ServeNow that is being carried out in practical and real ways as I write this.
We want you to join us!
We are looking for an “army of ServeNow ambassadors” who will volunteer in various ways to help us accomplish our mission around the world. We have come up with a dozen simple and creative ways you can volunteer your time to “Serve Now.” (Click here to view a brief PDF summary of those ideas).
For example, why not host a car wash where donations are then given to provide clean drinking water (“Water for Water!”) to those in greatest need in Nepal/India (some pictured below!)? This way you can serve your community while making an impact across the world!
Or how about partnering with us through our “Nothing but Net” initiative? For example, you could host a basketball tournament, free-throw contest or sponsored “pick-up” game and the proceeds go towards mosquito nets in Nepal/India?
Water and nets are going to be bigger needs than usual this year in Nepal/India where we work due to the earthquake destroying many people’s homes. But every $5.00 translates into clean drinking water for one family for one month or one mosquito net that will last about 5 years! Better yet, those being ministered to in this way will hear how Jesus is “Living Water” for our souls and our “Shield/Savior.” Many end up coming to faith in Christ as a result!
Or how about going to a local Wal-Mart and purchasing a dozen quart size canning jars for $8.99? We can provide you with stickers and custom-made lids and a flyer that you then pass out to friends or place in local businesses for our “winter-coverings” project. Every $10.00 worth of spare change or bills put in the jar result in us being able to provide a blanket, hat, socks, gloves and sweater to those in Northern India/Nepal where temperatures drop below freezing each year and hundreds die. This year the need will be even greater with so many homes having been destroyed by the earthquakes.
Or how about requesting some of our half-sheet flyers that give a very short summary of the kind of work ServeNow is involved in so you can pass it out to your friends and get them involved as partners? (Click here for the PDF file version).
There are other ideas such as bake sales (for our bakery in Ukraine that will provide skill training for young women at risk of human trafficking/prostitution), bike rides to raise money for bikes for pastors who often pastor more than one church miles apart with no transportation other than walking, organizing home meetings or connecting with people/your pastor that I could come and share ServeNow with, and other fun and creative ways!
Or how about going on a ServeNow mission trip? We have several trip opportunities left for you to join us this year in Ukraine (July/January), India (October), Nepal (December-January) and more trips being planned for 2016! Check out our website or ask for a 2015-2016 mission trip brochure: www.weservenow.org/mission-area/trips-2015.
Also, please take a moment to sign up to receive our short weekly prayer blog. Each Tuesday morning you will receive a short story from the field with some prayer points to guide your prayer. We need intercessors to pray! Sign-up here: huddle914.wordpress.com.
What about giving a generous gift? Click here to read a summary of some of the various projects and needs this summer. Or just give a donation on our website (Click here), or send a check to: 5550 Tech Center Drive, Suite 302, Colorado Springs, CO 80923.
Lastly, let me share four quick stories. Right before I began writing this blog, I read an article about an 11-year-old girl who was given $20 to purchase a gift for someone in need through another mission organization. She ended up actually turning that $20 into $10,000 in five years by doing various things to raise that amount!
That also reminds me of two young boys I know who were each given $20.00 by their parents to give to some need. They had many opportunities to give that $20.00 but each time they didn’t feel it was the one God was leading them to give to. They held onto that $20.00 for nearly one year waiting for the right opportunity! That time finally came when they saw the jars for our winter covering program and heard about the impact every $10.00 can have!
Or take my friends on the A-Team at Wesley Church in Quarryville, PA (pictured below). I gave this group of special needs kid’s jars to fill with spare change for our winter covering project. One of those kids, who I used to babysit, returned his jar in one week with filled change!
Fourthly, consider my other friends at the Solid Rock Youth Center also in Quarryville, PA. These sweet kids (pictured below) are “competing” (boys verse girls of course!) to fill their jars to provide the “Story of Jesus” booklets to children around the world many of whom have never had any Christian material in their hands before! One boy actually put $20.00 into the jar because he found it so cool that he could help other needy kids come to know about Jesus! It only costs one quarter to provide one booklet to one child who will share it with 4-5 other kids and often their own families! Adults have even come to faith in Jesus through this booklet!
It doesn’t take much to start or make a difference. God is just looking for a willing and committed heart and he can do far more than we could dream possible. As scripture says: “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). Not everybody can do everything but everybody can do something!
So what will you do to “Serve Now?” I challenge you as our slogan puts it: “ServeNow, procrastinate later!” It may not be with us, (or only us!) but the important thing is that you serve the Lord wholeheartedly, doing whatever he instructs you to do!
Ben Foley 