Hanging with Grandma can be so much fun!

I think about the times that my grandmother and I shared hot chocolate, played games, and shared stories.  I always loved to listen to her as she told me about life in the 1930s.  Good times aside, however, visiting grandma can also be challenging.  This blog series is intended to help you minister to your elderly family members and neighbors.  So, here we go!

Who is Grandma?

The number of the aged is growing steadily; well over 10% of our society are over 65 years old.  In a church whose average attendee is only 28 years old, it’s easy to forget about all those grandmas and grandpas out there.  But, if we have eyes to see, we find that the elderly are everywhere.  For example, on the street where I live there are at least 4 elderly families (4 out of 14 homes).  On most Monday nights, a group of Sojourners visit Parkway nursing home just a few blocks from the 930 (there are over 60 elderly who live there).  Every summer, Sojourn throws a Sock Hop dance for the elderly in the Germantown neighborhood.   Sojourn’s East campus has recently been approached by two organizations who deliver food for the elderly in St. Matthews.  I’m confident that if you look around, you’ll see lots of elderly people in your neighborhood, at the grocery, and at the park.  Grandma is not only in your family, she is everywhere!

1 Timothy 5 reminds us to care for the elderly and widows.  The church is to  ”give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need (v.3)” and  to ”help those widows who are really in need (v.16b).”

The Granny Challenge

I want to challenge you to respond with new ideas on how Sojourn Community Church can minister to the grandmas and grandpas in the city.  Seed will put cash toward the best idea and help you make it happen!  Post your ideas here or on the city.

Keep in Mind Some Challenges

Before going over to Grandma’s house, you’ve got to keep in mind some of the challenges that the elderly deal with.  Some of these include an adjustment to:

Physical limitations – Most Grandmas and Grandpas are struggling with a loss of strength and coordination, decreased circulation, decrease in mental sharpness, and an increase in chronic illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis.

Economic limitations – depending on various definitions of poverty, between 20-30% of the elderly live under the poverty level.  The two major factors that strain the budget include inflation and rising health care costs.

Social changes – In today’s industrialized society, the elderly have no clearly defined place or usefulness.  Grandpa, in particular, must grapple with a feeling of uselessness.  A retired person also has to face the loss of many friends and relatives due to death.  Old age also complicates one’s relationship with one’s children.  Given our mobile society and the breakdown of the extended family, many of the elderly live alone and are distant from their children.

Spiritual problems – Fear of death is constantly on the minds of many elderly.  In addition, there can be a sense of guilt or regret over past mistakes, wasted opportunities, or failures.  Worry about family members and their own health also plague the minds of the elderly.  Combine this with self-pity and introspection that comes from loneliness.

Meeting the Needs of Grandma and Grandpa

Today we’ll focus on how you can minister to Grandma’s physical needs.

1. Provide financial help for Grannie’s medical bills.  You can do this by setting up a family benevolence fund, take an offering up at your Community Group, or contact mercy@sojournchurch to talk to a deacon about financial assistance.  Free health care could be provided by talking to Sojourn members who are nurses, doctors, and health practitioners.
2. Visit Grandma and some of her friends to teach hobbies or other activities that are suited to their physical limitations.  For example, teaching sowing, crochet, playing cards, etc.
3. Support Grannie  by providing transportation to doctor’s visits, cutting her grass, dusting the house, or doing chores.
4. You can show consideration to Grandma by offering communion to shut-ins, bringing them sermons on cd, or bring them a large print bible to read.

Next week, we’ll talk about how you can minister to Granny’s economic limitations and social problems.

**A good portion of this blog was taken from the Redeemer Diaconate Manual.  You can purchase it here.

Sojourn is partnering with Louisville Orphan Care Initiative (LOCI), a non-profit who believes that the Church and individual Christians are the solution to the foster care problem.  Read here to find out how you can get involved in making a difference in the lives of pregnant teens who are in the foster care system.

This is an initiative/partnership with LOCI and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, where LOCI is coordinating with 12-15 churches in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

Our goal is to connect Christian women with foster teens who are pregnant.  The desire is to see Christian women coming alongside and mentoring these young pregnant teens.

Beginning in March, Sojourn will host a program, along with several other churches, that brings together the pregnant teens and Christian mentors.  This first round will be a 12 week training program, held on Monday nights, that will assist the teen moms with practical life skills.  The opportunity to be a mentor is open to Sojourners, who if interested, should attend the Informational Meeting/Orientation on March 1, 2010.  Let us know you are coming by filling out this reservation.

Dates

March 1                        Mentor Orientation Meeting

March 8 – 20               Mentor Interviews and Background Checks

March 15                      Kick-off Party with Foster Teen Moms

March 22-April 12    Three Weeks of Training for Mentors

April 19                         First Week of Mentoring Begins

July 5                             End of the first 12-week training/class

All meetings will take place at the 930, Sojourn’s Midtown Campus.  Times will be posted soon.

To read a previous post about LOCI and orphan care, click here.

About six million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income, according to an analysis of state data collected by The New York Times.  Now that is a staggering figure.  According to the article, about one in fifty Americans now lives in a household with a reported income that consists of nothing but a food-stamp card.  Can you imagine?  Chances are you may know one, but not realize it.

Members of this group – ranging from homeless men to single moms to the elderly – live on nothing but their food stamp income, which can range from $50-300+ per month.  In this challenging economy, this group is struggling to survive.  Some live in homeless shelters, while others have moved in with friends and family.  Many find employment difficult to come by, have sold all their possessions, and rely on their food stamp card for their daily sustenance.

There is much political debate taking place trying to discern how to fix the problem.  Proposed solutions range from increasing cash support available to families to decreasing taxes that create additional jobs.

But what can the church do?  What can you do to address this staggering issue of poverty in our nation?  Is there anything that you can do that will make a difference?  Here are just a few suggestions to plug in right away.

Prayer

As it says in 1 Timothy 2, we should pray for our politicians who are in authority.  Pray that they would be given wisdom to address this systemic issue in ways that would honor the poor and glorify God in heaven.  Pray for the poor who are suffering.  Pray that God would mobilize his people to step into the challenge and into the lives of the poor and needy.  Reflect on Ephesians 1 and pray for all to come to know the spiritual blessings we have in Christ as well as the power to live out these radical implications in the world.

Benevolence Ministry

Sojourn receives between 30-60 calls per month from families in our neighborhoods seeking financial assistance.  Some of these families truly have no income except their food stamps.  Sojourn has equipped and mobilized a mercy ministry that seeks to aid these families with assistance and draw these families into the body of Christ.  You can read the benevolence policy here.  There is always need for additional servants in this ministry as the poor will always be among us (Matt 26:11) and because the work is challenging and often time intensive.  Contact mercy@sojournchurch.com for additional information.

Seed Leadership

Consider becoming a Seed Leader.  Seed Leaders influence their groups to live more externally focused lives. Their primary responsibility is to encourage their group members to embrace God’s call for every individual to live a life of service and mission towards others.  Seed Leaders organize, plan and mobilize their group to service and mission in the city. There are literally dozens of ways to mobilize a community group to serve the lost, poor, hurting, and needy.  Contact mercy@sojournchurch.com for more information and read the Seed Leader Ministry Description here.

Mercy Monday

On Monday nights, we gather in groups to visit many families in need.  We enter into their homes, listen to their stories, encourage them with the hope of Jesus Christ, and minister to their physical needs.  If you have never been on mission in the city before, join up with those who have gone before you.  There are testimonies on this blog about how God uses us and blesses us as we seek to minister to the poor in his name.  Contact Jesse Moss for additional information at jmoss@sojournchurch.com

The Humble Coffee Cup

Finally, it has been said that most of the world’s problems could be addressed by the humble coffee mug.   Sound strange? Nothing can beat a redemptive relationship with someone who is in need (physical or spiritual).  Befriending someone who is in need – sharing a cup of coffee, hearing their stories, heartbreaks, hopes and fears – can lead to lots of opportunities.  You may find that you are well connected and can assist a person or family in need in ways you never imagined.  It takes a willingness to get to know a new friend, come alongside them, carry a burden, pray for them and encourage them as you yourself have been encouraged by your Christian brothers and sisters.

To speak to a deacon who can assist you in addressing the needs of the poor and needy, email mercy@sojournchurch.com.  We would love for you to embrace God’s call to care for the poor and needy (1 John 3:17-18).  You can also join us next Sunday when all Seed Leaders will gather for a meal, encouragement, and equipping.  REGISTER HERE.

About three months ago my wife, Lauren, and I attended our first Mercy Monday.  We weren’t really sure what to expect or what exactly we may be doing.  We ended up prayer walking.  This is something Lauren and I have heard of before, but never actually participated in.  As we exited the 930 I asked Nathan Ivey what prayer walking was.  Did you pray to yourself?  Was it something done through conversation with one another?  Or did you simply pray out loud? As we began walking down Mary Street Nathan instructed my wife and I through example and began praying for the Germantown community.

Immediately we came to a young high school girl and boy who were sitting on the front step of the 930.  We learned that they used to attend the elementary school that once was inhabited the 930, and that they thought of the building as a safe place to hang out to get away from the negativity that is within the surrounding community.   That’s right: Sojourn is seen by Germantown residents as a safe place to hang out.

As we dove deeper into conversation with the two high school-aged kids we were able to learn about their past and current situations. It turns out that one of their families are in great need for a place to live.  As we engaged the 15 minute conversation, God gave us the opportunity to share the gospel with them and invite them out to QUEST on Wednesday nights.  The young girl exchanged phone numbers with my wife and arrangements were made to walk her to the building that next Wednesday.

As we left the front steps and continued down Mary Street I began to pray and ask God begin to open their hearts to the good news of Christ and to allow us to pour into their lives.  That next Wednesday God opened the doors for Lauren and I to meet the young girl’s family and to walk her to QUEST.  I couldn’t believe that inviting someone – an unbeliever, a stranger – to church was so simple.  Strangely, after a few conversations, we weren’t strangers anymore.  My wife and I cared for this young girl.  God warmed our hearts as we longed for her to know Christ.  She too, responded to us with warmth as she acknowledged our newly forming friendship.

Let me fast forward a few months.  The young girl has yet become a believer, but God has provided and is continuing to provide opportunities to surround her and her family in gospel community. We have been able to bring our community group along side of us in this mission, and have been welcomed into the young girl’s home with smiles, great hospitality, love and prayer.  We can see evidence of God’s common grace all throughout this journey are continuing to praying for God’s saving grace to penetrate the lives of this young girl and her family!

Rob Maine, the writer of this blog, is a Sojourn Community Group Leader.  To contact Rob or to join his group on mission, you can reach him by emailing him here.

Last week the Lord laid it on my heart to visit Bill, an elderly recluse a few blocks from the 930.  I had not visited or seen Bill for four months.  Over the past three weeks, I found myself praying for him often.  Last Monday seemed like a great time to take a few Sojourner’s over to Bill’s house to see how he was doing.  He didn’t know we were coming… we were just following a nudge in our spirit that God wanted us to visit.

Bill is a man’s man, a war veteran who is 78 years old.  He has seen some pretty difficult things as an officer in the Army.  Just ask him, and he will fill your ears with hours of incredible stories.  He also loves to work on cars and, at 78, still drives a Porsche. Like I said, a man’s man.

But, Bill is also very lonely with no family or friends.  He is an unbeliever who knows his Bible better than most Christians.  When asked about the Bible, he delights in making young Christians feel foolish.  Bill can be harsh and cold at moments, which can be uncomfortable,  but something tells me that he loves when we come around.

When we knocked on his door, his eyes lit up and he became very animated by our presence.  We talked for almost an hour on his front porch.  It turns out that his birthday is on the 25th of this month.  He said he hates birthday parties and that he hates all people.  He quickly conceded and told us that he actually liked us and enjoyed the time we spent together.  I think he might also concede his stance on birthday parties.  Really, who doesn’t like to be celebrated?

So, tonight we are throwing Bill a surprise birthday party.  There won’t be very many of us, but we are coming armed with treats and cupcakes.  We are doing this because we love Bill and want him to take joy and delight in the people of God.  Moreover, we ultimately desire for him to know and to praise the God that created him.

Apologetics and well crafted arguments for the existence of God have fallen flat with Bill. I admit, he is too clever for us.  However, what Bill needs right now is not more well crafted appeals to believe in God, but to see and experience God’s love showered on him through God’s people.  For somebody who is lonely and lives in isolation, a barrage of facts about Christ is not immediately attractive.  But, authentically demonstrate God’s presence, acceptance, intimacy and fellowship?  Now that is attractive to a lonely old man…and it’s a good starting point for explicitly sharing with Him Christ’s love for us.

We don’t know how Bill will respond tonight.  He may outright reject us.  And that is okay.  But, I do know this:  the gospel compels and empowers us to “live such good lives among unbelievers that, though they accuse you of doing wrong (in this case, throwing a small birthday party), they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” – 1 Peter 2:12

I’ll keep you posted on what happens.  In the mean time, join us every Monday evening at 6:30pm at the 930 to get equipped for face-to-face ministry in the city.  Perhaps you will meet Bill, or one of the other half-dozen families that we visit every week.  Learn to share and demonstrate the gospel with neighbors.  No one goes at it alone.  You know you want to.  Email jesse.moss@gmail.com for additional information.

God has forgiven our sin and given us life through his Son, therefore let us with joy display this life by serving and showing our city what life is like under the reign and rule of such a gracious God!  Seed is here to equip you for a life of service and mission.  You never go at it alone.  Join us as we follow Christ.  Here are some suggestions for “Next Steps” and contact info for people who can help you get connected.

BRAND NEW to Seed

• Get involve in a Community Group – (Mike Crowe, mcrowe@sojournchurch.com)
• Mercy Monday’s every Monday at 6:30pm, 930 Listening Room. Join us for face-to-face mercy ministry in the city.  Everyone welcome.(Jesse Moss, jesse.moss@gmail.com)
• Monthly Service Opportunities – (seed.sojournchurch.com or email mercy@sojournchurch.com)
• Return to Next Month’s Feed and Seed – Every Second Sunday
  • Intro to Seed class starting next month
  • You and/or your Community Group can serve after lunch

INACTIVE CG Seed Leader

• Email mercy@sojournchurch.com and a Seed Coach will be in contact with you so that you and your group get plugged back in.
• Monthly Service Opportunities – (seed.sojournchurch.com or email mercy@sojournchurch.com)
• Contact the leader who is coordinating one of our City Partnerships – Review the City Partnerships Info Sheet.  (email mercy@sojournchurch.com)
• Mercy Monday’s at 6:30pm, 930 Listening Room, (Jesse Moss, jesse.moss@gmail.com).  Every Monday night you can plug in and get equipped for face-to-face ministry in the city.  Bring your group and get exposed to home visitations, prayer walking, and meeting neighbors in the city.
• Return to Next Month’s Feed and Seed
  • You and/or your Community Group can serve after lunch.

ACTIVE CG Seed Leader

• Enter a relationship with a “Just One” family.  (Jesse Moss, jesse.moss@gmail.com)
• Mercy Monday’s at 6:30pm, 930 Listening Room, (Jesse Moss, jesse.moss@gmail.com)
• Serve!  Join one of our city partnerships, do a street cleanup, or expose your group to the joy of serving together.  (To get ideas email mercy@sojournchurch.com)
• Return to Next Month’s Feed and Seed
  • Bring your community group to the Seed 101 class or Leader training session
• Step up into other Seed leadership roles (email Nathan Ivey for a list of leadership roles at nivey@sojournchurch.com).

Part 1 of 2

Kind words, cleaning, and cookies. All were part of the summed up experience of last week at SEED’s Mercy Monday’s service effort. A recent boiling desire that God has put in me to grow spiritually has been leading me to seek how I can become more active in following Christ. Learning that God has promised us that we reap that which we sow¹ my desire to work became for Him surfaced, energized by faith. Now I was equipped, ready to do some service. SEED was there-ready to provide an opportunity for me to practice what I had been taught².

This would be my first time coming. With thoughts swirling in my head, I wasn’t really sure what was to be resulting from the evening, but I had been hearing about this thing for a little while now and decided I would come out and see what it was all about. What I found was that it was exactly what it was supposed to be about-sharing the love of Jesus Christ through acts of service and relationships. Being welcomed and greeted like family coming through the lobby doors of the 930 is a good way to start a night just as it is any Sunday morning. Already love was in the air (in a very Christ-like way) as I was set into a group where introductions and conversation were ready to flow like milk and honey. “Hi, I’m Sue…hey it’s Josh, man…my name is Tristan” and several others made their handshaking rounds. New friends were my shipmates and we were ready to embark on the journey upon our ship Service, to where I knew not. All I was aware of was that we commissioned to pirate a house of it’s dirt and disorganization-in other words we were cleaning. I found that the house belonged to a man by the name Austin, who I would soon meet.

We pulled out of the parking lot and made our way to the destination just a few blocks away. Entering house, an instant welcome from Michelle, Austin’s wife, followed by a comfort thick enough to sit down in like a lazy-boy recliner settled and quickly converted my attention to Austin-a nice, jolly fellow with a personality that seemed appropriate for a Broadway actor. He likes soccer (go England!) and used to play violent video games, but doesn’t anymore because he says that he can find more productive things to do (Amen). As he began to speak about how he came in contact with Sojourn and the love that experienced from that connection, his appearance became translucent, revealing a beating heart with kind words galore-a man that had been touched by the heart of Christ working through people. Soon enough we would continue this love by cleaning up their home, from the floor up. Gathering some scattered elementary school papers from the ground, my mind was focusing on a few things: the people around me, all being and working together, loving in fellowship to love the Lord our God with our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. There was no arguments or complaints of housework, just love. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t usually get these thoughts when I clean out where I live…The house was perfect soil to plant seeds for relationships as it was doused with the reign of Christ-like love coming from the shroud of group effort. Opportunity for building relationships was almost imminent. I was cleaning the floorboards when I first got a chance to talk to Austin and Michelle’s daughter, Chasity. With a gentle kindness she extended a tupperware full of cookies that I would not be refusing³. We quickly made friends as we discussed her 5^th grade career. We talked about school subjects leading to my learning that she likes math and is pretty good at it as I found out after quizzing her on a few problems. She also seems to take a special interest in juggling, so we tossed around a few objects and then ate some more cookies.    Thinking back it doesn’t feel like I had given up my Monday…it wasn’t like that at all. If anything, through the love that I experienced and became part of, I had gained an evening. Friends, conversing, and cookies are ingredients usually found at a party or mixer of some sort. Tonight they were part of our service to Jesus.

Read Part 2 of 2 tomorrow.  Jeff Armstrong, the author of this blog, attends Sojourn and can be reached at jeffarmstronginChrist@gmail.com.

¹ Galatians 6:9 ⁹And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.

² James 2: 14, 18  ¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  ¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

³ 1 Timothy 4:4 ⁴For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

Part 2 of 2

Eventually the evening grew late and we would have to leave the abode. We gathered in the main room for few last kind words and closing prayer. I quickly chugged down my warm coffee, said my good-byes to my new family members in Christ, and made way to the car, watching as little Chasity spectated our leaving from a window nearby.

I cannot help but to relate that night and what I learned to a comparison between the Kingdom of God and the Israelites journey to the Promised Land.  As Christians, strangers to this place, we are seeking for more love, mercy, and obedience to Christ-things not common in this world. We are in pursuit of a land filled with these virtues to the brim and overflowing, pressed down and shaken together, running over⁴. It is kingdom consisting of sharing cookies and making friends, but also of the power of a life-revolutionizing love⁵. I believe the Kingdom of Heaven to be made up of these things. Unlike the Israelites, our promised land deliverance doesn’t consist of breaking free from a physical Pharaoh, traveling across a desert, spending forty years in the wilderness, or battling Canaanite inhabitants to obtain a land of milk and honey.

Rather of Christ breaking us free from a sin that enslaved and ruled us like a pharaoh, times of growth that makes traveling through desert sound like a nice vacation to a foreign land, and forty years in the woods like a movie we’d watch on a Monday night at home with the family. Though there comes times when we have a chance to take charge and step out on Christ’s commands like Caleb did for God in face of fears or uncertainty.⁶ You may have uncertainty about getting out and caring for someone you don’t know or feel uncomfortable with doing some dirty jobs.

But we obviously aren’t battling giant Canaanite people- just our schedules, doubts and desires in opposition to Christ’s teachings. But what if the Israelites would not have followed Moses out of Egypt? What if they decided to not take the first step into the Promised Land? Taking opportunity to be put your faith into action through works, is a important part of following and serving Christ. James 2:14 discusses how we must have faith and deeds. He asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” In relation to the importance of working for Christ, Paul states in his letter to Galatia that “God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”⁷

Sowing into the lives of Austin, Michelle, and their children and reaping the love they reciprocated in just a few hours spent cleaning is now worth more to me than riches. There’s no room for me to boast or to glory in myself, though. All I had to do was show up and be ready to do what I was told while having a little fun while doing it-truly bringing to light God’s honor in his works that are already prepared for us likewise we are prepared for them⁸. I encourage anyone looking to love Jesus⁹ more to come out-be a part of something like what I have been blessed to share, and let Him use you to make a difference. The reward is waiting on the other side of the fence! A land not flowing with honey or milk (although there may be cookies and coffee), but one with love, mercy, and a good times.

After seeing what God is doing there, my hope is that Mercy Mondays with SEED become topic of conversation and can be a firstborn spark that create a wildfire of discipleship, service, and evangelism in the community and the surrounding areas as individuals decide to seek God’s Kingdom. We were made for this¹⁰, so come join us for the next Mercy Monday at seven! At least take time out to pray about and for it. Lord willing, see you there!

If you ever run into Austin, Michelle, and their kids Zach and Chasity at Sojourn, make sure to recognize them as the great people they are. I also want to extend a special thanks in Christ’s name to all the other brothers and sisters that I did and did not get to meet last week that participated!

May God bless you through Christ!
Jeff Armstrong, the author of this blog, has been attending Sojourn and can be reached at jeffarmstronginChrist@gmail.com.

⁴ Luke 6:38
³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

⁵ 2 Timothy 1:7 ⁷For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
1 Corinthians 4:20 talks about a direct Kingdom of Heaven and it’s power reference.

⁶ Numbers 13:30 ³⁰Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  Relates to us today when referring to God’s blessings He provides through acts of love-moving us closer to the Kingdom.

^{7 7}Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

⁸ Ephesians 2:10

⁹ Matthew 25:37-40

¹⁰ Ephesians 2:10

God’s Word + good deeds = Seed. Grow your faith by putting it into action.  Join us.

Feed and Seed Luncheon September 13th – 12:30-2:30pm
Anyone interested in Seed is invited to attend this monthly potluck.  After lunch, there are several ways to get involved and serve.  You can help clean the rail road tracks and Swan Street or distribute the Sojourn Germantown Newsletter.  Seed Leaders will learn how to visit the sick and equip their groups for action.  Register online here.  http://sojourncommunity.ccbchurch.com/app/w_form_response.php?form_id=238

Mercy Mondays – Every Monday – 6:30pm-8:00pm
Every Monday evening we serve, visit and run errands for Germantown widows and residents.  This ministry will equip you for face-to-face mercy ministry in the city.  No one goes at it alone and everyone is guided by an experienced deacon.  We visit approximately eight families every Monday.  Contact Jesse Moss at mercy@sojournchurch.com for additional information.

Feeding the Poor – September 5, 12, 19, 26 – 11:30am-1:30pm
Bring your family and be blessed as you share a meal with poor families who live in our neighborhood.  Contact David Taliaferro at david.taliaferro@summitenergy.com for more information.

Handyman Meet Up – Wednesday September 23, 6:30pm.
Leaking gutters, busted pipes, broken doors, rusty windows and rotted ramps are all problems that occur in the 100+ year old homes in Germantown.  Join us if you are good with your hands and willing to sacrifice your time to fix things up.  You must email us to attend, since we meet off campus.   Contact Andy Robinette at mercy@sojournchurch.com for more information.

Sojourn Fall Festival Leadership Team – September 13th – 9:30am-11:00am
Sojourn hosts a fall festival every year with over 1,000 people attending.  There is free food, music, games, petting zoo, cakewalk and more.  Join the leadership team as we plan for this year’s festival scheduled for October 17th.  We meet every other week for 6 more weeks.  Contact Nathan Ivey at nivey@sojournchurch.com.

Help Deepen Our City Partnerships – September 20th – 4:00pm-5:00pm
Seed has partnered with several non-profits, neighborhood associations, churches and businesses in order to serve and bless the city.  If you want to learn to be a point person to facilitate one of our partnerships, please come to this meeting.  Individuals trained are responsible for coordinating Sojourn efforts for the agency that is closest to their heart and passion.  Contact Nathan Ivey at nivey@sojournchurch.com for additional information.

Give a ride to church – Every Sunday and Wednesday.  Let us know if you can pick someone up and bring them to church for worship or classes.  Contact the Coordination Team at mercy@sojournchurch.com for information.