RECAP: Serve Sunday

The heart behind this series is that throughout Jesus’ ministry there were powerful moments of teaching, but some of the most inspiring moments were when he would put the disciples into active hands-on ministry to teach them the truths of God’s kingdom.

On Sunday, Thad shared about the moment where Jesus asked his disciples to feed 5,000 people found in Luke 9:12-17. Even when the disciples didn’t know how all the specifics were going to be handled in the moment, they trusted that he was going to make a way as they served the food.

After this short devotional moment, we were able to hear about the incredible work going on in our local food bank from Stacey Crnich, the CEO of the Market. Stacey shared about the work of the Bonney Lake Food Bank and she explained the difficulty and reward that comes from changing how a typical food bank functions.

Stacey told us about the history of Open Life Church’s involvement with the food bank since 2010, highlighting some of the most crucial moments of our partnership. The past 3 years have been especially difficult for The Market, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, a change of location for the food bank, along with the increased need in our community and region during this time. Summarizing the experience of the past few years, she says,

Open Life has been proud to partner with the Food Bank for many years and Thad was especially excited to present a check to Stacey for $2,075 to go towards the incredible work and effort that was just described. Each month, Open Life focuses on one of our strategic partners, and for the month of April, The Market has been our strategic focus.

The rest of the morning was dedicated to accomplishing something tangible together with our hands. In teams, we were able to split up 1750 pounds of bulk rice and oats into 830 small bags that will be available to clients of the Market during the month of May. While this was going on, we also had teams of people packing small packs of bulk spices so that families can make, “beautiful meals,” as Stacey says. It was once again a reminder that “many hands make light work.”

Whether we’re setting up or tearing down our services each Sunday, or we’re packing and delivering hundreds of meals at the Community Big Give, or a simple Serve Sunday, the excitement comes from serving together as a church. 

Hopefully this experience is one that really propels us into the next few weeks at Open Life as we look at how Jesus used some practical teaching methods to get his disciples not just to learn with their hearts and minds, but also with their physical bodies, their presence, and their acts of service.  

Let what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 (NIV) provide a context for why we serve:
² We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We hope to see you at Open Life Church this Sunday morning at 10am. We meet at the Bonney Lake High School Performing Arts Center, and we’d love to have you come be our guest this week.