Going the NEXT step

I have loved hearing all the stories of how God is moving and causing people at The Vine to think outside of themselves through our Thanksgiving Connection Outreach.  People who are participating and are challenged to do it differently and those who are not participating in the Thanksgiving Connection Outreach, but through this they have been challenged to move forward in areas God has called them to go the NEXT step.

One family emailed me to let me know they are not participating in The Vine’s Thanksgiving Connection Outreach.  She said, “instead of providing a meal through the vine, i am going to invite an elderly senior (meals on wheels recipient) to have thanksgiving dinner with us.  he has no children and limited family.  i hope this is o.k.  if you are short of people giving meals, let me know and i’ll jump in.  i just thought this would be more personal.”

Yes, this is okay with me!  My desire is for people to do the things which are burning in their hearts and to connect to others as the body of Christ so the world can see and experience Christ’s love.

Actually this is not just an idea to come up over the past few weeks, but something which has been brewing for a while.  She also wrote, “for several years, i’ve been wanting to invite someone less fortunate to have thanksgiving and/or christmas with us.  but, for whatever reasons, i never did.  there is one man in particular, marshall, that i’ve known for years.  he is elderly, no children, low functioning.  i knew him from my job.  and after i had kids and left the position, i would see him occasionally, walking down the road or at kroger.  i’d talk with him, give him a ride, maybe take the kids to visit him.   and i always wanted to invite him over for holiday dinner.  never did.  well, a couple of months ago, i found out that he had died.  it really impacted me.  he was a believer so that, of course, is great.  but i just kept thinking of all of years that i didn’t reach out to him over the holidays when it really was something that God put on my heart.”

No longer is this family waiting, they are moving forward and going the NEXT step.  They are Loving God through Loving this elderly man who will be joining them in their home for Thanksgiving.

What is God calling you to do?

“Feeding Jesus”

Shawn Lesko and Jessica Lhamon are heading down to Atlanta to join with 7 Bridges to Recovery this Wednesday night, Nov. 18th, to go under the bridges and feed the homeless.  They are welcoming anyone who would like to go with them to meet at Classy Nail and Tan in Braselton at 5:30 p.m. to ride together for an amazing night of “feeding Jesus”.

I have called it “feeding Jesus” because in Matt. 25:31-40, Jesus says there will be a time when he tells people thank you for feeding him and caring for him and loving him.  Those people will wonder and ask, when did we do this?  He will reply, whenever you did for the nobodies of the world, you did for me.

Would you like to join them?
Details:
Is it safe – I have taken my 5 year old daughter and it is very safe.
Meeting place: Classy Nail and Tan (Braselton) – 5771 Old Winder Hwy Braselton, GA 30517
Contact for more info: Shawn 770-965-8883 or Jason 770-653-5302
Meeting time: 5:30 p.m.

Orphan Soup for Thanksgiving

We have called members and regular attendees to a high level of commitment this year for our Thanksgiving Connection Outreach.  There has been a great response from families willing to replicate their family Thanksgiving dinner to make it possible for other families to be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  As of this morning we have 27 families from The Vine who are taking this opportunity to Love God through Loving Others.

One story I would like to share with you is from the Parrish family.  Jackie wrote to me, “Grace and I went to Mexico several years ago during the week of Thanksgiving and that holiday hasn’t been the same for us since then.  Scott closed his business early this year, so things are a bit tight.  Despite being on a much tighter budget, we know just how blessed we really are.  We will actually be giving them our food and will include some special family recipes and stories. We will eat soup that our daughter Grace and I learned to make while on a mission trip in Mexico. We call it Orphan Soup because we cooked it for a boys’ orphanage one night. This is a wonderful outreach opportunity for families – thanks so much for setting this up!  The kids didn’t hesitate when I raised this opportunity to them.”

I was moved to tears when I read how God is moving in this family and I think about how God is going to move through this family.

Video about Thanksgiving Connection

If you want to participate by replicate your Thanksgiving Meal for a family in need Fill out this form! WE MUST KNOW THIS NO LATER THAN NOV. 11th.

If you are in need of a meal or know someone in need of a Thanksgiving Meal Fill out this form!

Once you have submitted your forms we will be in contact with you to discuss any details which need to be handled.

Thanksgiving Connection Outreach

Thanksgiving is a time when most people connect with others and  take note of what they are thankful for.  It is a perfect opportunity to share what we have with those who are in need.  Please consider joining us in The Vine’s Thanksgiving Connection Outreach.

Purpose: To connect families through tangible expressions of love by providing food at Thanksgiving time.

There are Multiple Ways to Serve
1.  Replicate your Thanksgiving Meal for a family in need.
2.  Partner with another family within the church to replicate a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need.
3.  Scale back your meal in order to provide a meal for another family.

How will we connect with Families to Serve?

1.  Anyone in our church who is having financial difficulty and needs assistance should let us know.  We want to provide for those closest to us first.
2.  Anyone we become aware of through our church who needs assistance.  If you know of anyone (friends, family, co-worker) please let us know.
3.  Families discovered through WJPS, other local schools and food banks who need assistance.

On November 21st, those participating in providing Thanksgiving Food for families will deliver the food to the families at their homes.

If you want to participate by replicate your Thanksgiving Meal for a family in need Fill out this form! WE MUST KNOW THIS NO LATER THAN NOV. 11th.

If you are in need of a meal or know someone in need of a Thanksgiving Meal Fill out this form!