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What makes you come fully alive in the Kingdom of God?
Pastor Laura posed this question in a recent new member class, and it has been on my mind ever since. Some shared about feeling alive while they are outdoors enjoying God’s creation. Others shared about holy experiences through worship, time with family, or exercising. It's from this place of meeting God and dwelling in God’s presence that I invite us all to approach Outreach this year. How have we encountered the Spirit in meaningful ways, and how might we serve others from that experience, fully alive?
Here at Hayes Barton, we plan to structure our Outreach opportunities in a fresh, intentional way for the coming year. We will center our service efforts around seasonal themes, with accompanying ways to learn, volunteer, and donate together as a congregation.
Winter Outreach Focus: Food Security
During January and February, we are focusing on food security due to the increased demand that cold weather places on hunger. North Carolina has the 10th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, and this is intensified during the cold winter months when many face the question of “heat or hunger?” Families must make the impossible choice between purchasing groceries or paying higher than usual utility bills to stay warm. In recognition of this need, we are centering our winter Outreach opportunities around food security throughout both our community and our world.
Here’s how to get involved:
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Donate: We are collecting food for the Taylor Burroughs Market P.L.A.C.E. (Pantry of Love, Acceptance, Care, and Equality), a nonprofit serving people living with HIV or at high risk for contracting HIV. Bring donations to the Narthex or the Well through February 25.
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Volunteer: Join us at HBUMC on Saturday, February 24, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. for a Rise Against Hunger meal packaging event to impact worldwide hunger. We aim to package 10,152 meals and we need your help to make it happen! This is a family-friendly event--please register by clicking here.
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Learn: Come learn more about HBUMC’s international mission partners during our upcoming Wednesday night speaker series. Each session will take place from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, immediately following Wednesday night dinner.
With plenty of opportunities to address food security in the coming weeks, we encourage each family to prayerfully choose just one way to get involved. We trust that God will knit each faithful act of service together in a beautiful way to create a meaningful impact on hunger.
What makes you come fully alive in the Kingdom of God? As we ponder this question in the days ahead, I invite us all to consider the ways that service plays a role in our spiritual lives. It is from this place of serving others, fully alive using our God-given talents and passions, that we experience the Kingdom.
Peace,
Lindsey
Director of Outreach and Fellowship
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