Al's Outreach Outtakes

I love working with our friends next door at Beaverton Foursquare Church. They have helped us with financial support for the back pack program since the first day; they regularly bring food donations for the Food Closet; they are happy to help whenever we have special needs and ask us to do the same which we gladly do. I have a particularly good relationship with one of their pastors, Mark, whom I admire and respect greatly. Recently Mark asked if I would come talk with a small group of doctoral students about community partnerships that work. I was honored to do so.

We began by them asking me what I felt was most critical in building outreach programs that work. I told them it’s all about building a strong community. That includes not only those whom you serve but those with whom you serve with. Unity creates community.

I pointed out that our back pack program , now finishing it’s sixth year, all started with 15 back packs a week We simply walked across the street to Barnes, learned of the great need (70% of the students were on free and reduced meal program) and responded to it. Reaching out to your neighbor, any neighbor, starts to build community. Knowing that the program would quickly grow, a conversation was had with our neighbors at Foursquare. They responded by asking “How can we help?” and have been sending funds ever since. Again growing community. As the word began to spread around the Beaverton School District and more schools asked for help, more churches and supporters became engaged; the community grew bigger and stronger. No artificial boundaries or barriers. Just human beings helping each other.
I shared other examples including our Food Closet and dental van.  I pointed out that while I am far from being a biblical scholar, I have looked and nowhere in the Bible can I find Jesus telling us to serve only those who look like us, think like us, talk like us or believe like us. Rather, we are called to love and serve one another. As Fr. Dave has said on many occasions, as Christians we need to pay more attention to what we have in common rather than focus on our faith differences. We are alike in so many ways. I can think of no better way to honor God than by working together to serve our neighbors. That’s the message I tried to leave them with. Thanks for making that happen at Holy Trinity!