Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Branches Update December 2011
Merry Christmas from The Branches Community Church!
We pray that you are enjoying the season with family and friends. The Branches is looking forward to celebrating our first official Christmas together as a church family. On December 19th we will be sharing a Christmas meal together and enjoying one another's company. The great thing about being a young church is that we get to enjoy many "firsts" together. A few weeks ago we took our first communion with one another. It was a very meaningful time for us to corporately remember the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us.
Our desire as a church is to reach out with Christ's love into our community. Frequently we do this by generously giving to others. In November we approached a local agency for names and addresses of families in need. Just before Thanksgiving we gathered at the Harris' home and put together Thanksgiving baskets to pass out to families in Escondido. Brand new festively decorated laundry baskets were brimming over with turkey, potatoes, pies, stuffing, etc. Each family who put a basket together then delivered it to families we had never met before - it was a great evening.
One of the people at The Branches that I wish you all could meet is Tom Clare. Tom and his family are a powerful team caring for the poor. Tom's first direct encounter with ministering to the homeless was on October 29th, less than two months ago. On that Saturday our church provided a barbecue meal to the homeless in the park. Tom volunteered to purchase all of the meat and to grill it. When I arrived at the park Tom was already there, I could barely see him through all of the smoke wafting up from the grill. When the smoke cleared I saw Tom's smiling face as he flipped the burgers and was making sure that the homeless who were flooding over to the table had everything they needed. Later, He told Pastor James, "I don't think I could ever throw out leftovers from my refrigerator knowing that there are people in my community who are hungry."
After the meal Tom and his wife Shellie stuck around with Pastor James in the park to minister to a gentleman who needed counseling. They put the man up in a hotel for the evening and Tom offered the gentleman his phone number in case he needed to talk again some time. God was definitely doing something in Tom's heart that day at the park.
Just a couple of days later Tom and Shellie made their way back to the park on their own with a large pot of soup and provided soup for dozens of people. He sat and talked with people in the park and simply listened to their stories. He learned that many of them could use coats as colder weather approached. That week at work Tom organized a coat and blanket drive. Within a day his truck was packed with gently used coats and blankets and shoes. Over the month of November Tom and Shellie made several trips back to the park on their own to feed those who are hungry.
A couple of days ago Tom's workplace had a Christmas party and there were 8 full trays of food left over. There was no way he was going to let it go to waste so he called Pastor James. James contacted the homeless shelter in town and told them that we had food to provide; the shelter said that it was great timing because they didn't know what they were going to do for the soup kitchen the next day.
Currently, Tom has a new project that he is inviting all of our church family to participate in. The winter season is a very difficult time for the homeless in our community so we will be collecting socks, rain ponchos, McDonald's gift cards, etc. to pass out to those in need.
Less than 2 months of ministering to the homeless and Tom is a "fireball poverty fighter"! Men like Tom humble me. A couple of weeks ago I caught Tom after church, I said, "Tom I think it is so awesome the way that you are ministering to the homeless in our community." Tom looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I want to thank you and James for everything you're doing, because up until now they were invisible to me."
Those who were previously invisible are now visible; seems to me like he is seeing through Christ's eyes. Tom's life is changing, and Tom is changing lives… and it's all because of Jesus.
Glad the manger was filled and the tomb is empty!
Kris
We pray that you are enjoying the season with family and friends. The Branches is looking forward to celebrating our first official Christmas together as a church family. On December 19th we will be sharing a Christmas meal together and enjoying one another's company. The great thing about being a young church is that we get to enjoy many "firsts" together. A few weeks ago we took our first communion with one another. It was a very meaningful time for us to corporately remember the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us.
Our desire as a church is to reach out with Christ's love into our community. Frequently we do this by generously giving to others. In November we approached a local agency for names and addresses of families in need. Just before Thanksgiving we gathered at the Harris' home and put together Thanksgiving baskets to pass out to families in Escondido. Brand new festively decorated laundry baskets were brimming over with turkey, potatoes, pies, stuffing, etc. Each family who put a basket together then delivered it to families we had never met before - it was a great evening.
One of the people at The Branches that I wish you all could meet is Tom Clare. Tom and his family are a powerful team caring for the poor. Tom's first direct encounter with ministering to the homeless was on October 29th, less than two months ago. On that Saturday our church provided a barbecue meal to the homeless in the park. Tom volunteered to purchase all of the meat and to grill it. When I arrived at the park Tom was already there, I could barely see him through all of the smoke wafting up from the grill. When the smoke cleared I saw Tom's smiling face as he flipped the burgers and was making sure that the homeless who were flooding over to the table had everything they needed. Later, He told Pastor James, "I don't think I could ever throw out leftovers from my refrigerator knowing that there are people in my community who are hungry."
After the meal Tom and his wife Shellie stuck around with Pastor James in the park to minister to a gentleman who needed counseling. They put the man up in a hotel for the evening and Tom offered the gentleman his phone number in case he needed to talk again some time. God was definitely doing something in Tom's heart that day at the park.
Just a couple of days later Tom and Shellie made their way back to the park on their own with a large pot of soup and provided soup for dozens of people. He sat and talked with people in the park and simply listened to their stories. He learned that many of them could use coats as colder weather approached. That week at work Tom organized a coat and blanket drive. Within a day his truck was packed with gently used coats and blankets and shoes. Over the month of November Tom and Shellie made several trips back to the park on their own to feed those who are hungry.
A couple of days ago Tom's workplace had a Christmas party and there were 8 full trays of food left over. There was no way he was going to let it go to waste so he called Pastor James. James contacted the homeless shelter in town and told them that we had food to provide; the shelter said that it was great timing because they didn't know what they were going to do for the soup kitchen the next day.
Currently, Tom has a new project that he is inviting all of our church family to participate in. The winter season is a very difficult time for the homeless in our community so we will be collecting socks, rain ponchos, McDonald's gift cards, etc. to pass out to those in need.
Less than 2 months of ministering to the homeless and Tom is a "fireball poverty fighter"! Men like Tom humble me. A couple of weeks ago I caught Tom after church, I said, "Tom I think it is so awesome the way that you are ministering to the homeless in our community." Tom looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I want to thank you and James for everything you're doing, because up until now they were invisible to me."
Those who were previously invisible are now visible; seems to me like he is seeing through Christ's eyes. Tom's life is changing, and Tom is changing lives… and it's all because of Jesus.
Glad the manger was filled and the tomb is empty!
Kris
Monday, December 12, 2011
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