My wife and I just returned from Charlotte, NC, where we spent three wonderful days with a team from our church, along with a couple of other friends from two other churches. Our mission: To volunteer in the distribution center in Charlotte, for Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christian Child. We traveled to Boone, NC. last year around this year with a team of about 21. This year, we were unfortunately down to only about 11 team members, but, what a great team it was.
We couldn’t have asked for a more cooperative, energetic and excited group of people to travel and work with and we appreciate every one of them. From Josie, a recently new convert to Christ, to those who have been in Christianity for quite some time. But God was in the trip all the way.
From the travel to and from Charlotte, to providing some great suites at the Marriott about three minutes away from the distribution center. The hotel overbooked and ended up giving up suites with seating areas, kitchenettes with stove, fridge, and all the works for only $44 per night. God is good – All the time. Thank you Marriott, we would recommend your facilities and your service anytime.
The first evening, our team was scheduled, after driving for 7 hours, to work from 3 to 10 p.m. By around 5 p.m. or so, the announcement had come across that the distribution center had already done over 50,000 boxes so far for the day. Tuesday, by the end of the day (another 3-10 shift) and the total was over 120,000 for the day. Tell me God isn’t great – He definitely is.
Working with OCC was wonderful, but just the idea of our church being able to be involved in another outreach ministry was wonderful. God definitely called Christ Community Church (CCC) to become a world outreach center, I believe that. He is continuing to expand our ministry outreach avenues.
This is not meant by any means to be boastful for God gets all the credit. He provides the great people to work with and who work greatly together, and he provides the finances for us to go and he gives us great visionaries and a church leadership board who sees the need for reaching out to touch as many lives as possible with the Gospel and the love of Christ.
Then again, isn’t this what it’s all about? Of course it is. It isn’t about growing a church for the sheer reason of numbers. It’s about every number being a soul and every soul being a soul-winner and winning someone else. God has called us. I have questioned God, that with my physical limitations, when I can pull back a little. His answer is clear: When Jesus comes, when we win every soul there is to win and met every need there is to meet, or until he calls me home personally. Until then, roll up your sleeves, get ready to get your hands dirty, for we have work to do.
After all, that’s what it’s all about.
