September 11th has been proclaimed, by President Obamba, a “National Day of Service”. This is a day to honor those who gave their lives to defend our country and to show our gratitude by giving back to the community. Below are a few tips that you may find helpful in starting National Day of Service projects in your community. National Day of Service: Five tips to help you get started
1) Pray – There’s value in praying over our communities. In our plans to serve our cities, we are submitting our natural abilities to God’s supernatural power. We must come before Him and pray about what we need to do. God will open up doors that we could never imagine in our governments, communities, partnerships, and in peoples’ lives.
2) Be creative – God has given us the ability to be creative. Often times we stick with what we know works, but with such an amazing opportunity staring us in the face to be able to partner with our governments, let’s let our creativity flow. So many times here at Healing Place Church we find that the more creative we are the more fun and impacting the blessing really is.
3) Take the Lead – So many times churches will hesitate to take a lead in their community. Christ has called us to serve people. So don’t be afraid to take the lead in serving those in your area. Let’s help show the government and community how people should be treated.
4) Culture of serving – Through being creative, taking the lead, praying, and partnering with our local governments and community programs, many people will be inspired to continue to serve. Be sure to let them know of any future opportunities you have or any idea of a Servolution in your community. Do not let this be a one-day event but a catapult to starting a revolution of serving through your community.
5) Partnership –There are two main areas in which you can search out partnerships. One is your local government and another is your local community. Due to the fact that the National Day of Service is a government project from the President it should not be hard for you to partner with the mayor or government of your state. You can also partner with organizations in your community such as the United Way or Habitat for Humanity.
Today, we received a brief update from our flood relief teams on the grounds in Nashville. They’ve been working hard to bring help and love to the families affected by this disaster. So far this week, teams of volunteers have been going door to door and pulling appliances, carpet (which is big time heavy once water-logged), and cabinets out of the homes. Essentially, the ground teams are helping the people get a head start on recovery.
Kevin Mawae (NFL) with a man, also named Kevin, in front of his camper. This camper was carried by the flood waters from his house, across the street, and into his neighbors back yard. Our team was able to help take all of the furniture out of their destroyed home and share the love of God while doing so.
I just heard that there has already been more rainfall in the month of May than ever before in Nashville, and it’s just May 3. Wow. Needless to say, the flooding is overwhelming. Lots of people homeless, lots of damage, lots of need.
For right now, if you want to help, here’s some things you can do:
PRAY. Pray for the victims of the flooding, and pray for those responding to the need. Pray for churches and believers throughout the area to shine the light of hope and the grace and love of Jesus in what is sure to be some of the most difficult times many of these people have ever faced.
GIVE ONLINE. You can give online at www.crosspoint.tv any time day or night.
GIVE BY CHECK. If you’re in the Baton Rouge area and you’d rather give by writing a check, you can do that through Healing Place Church. Just drop a check off at our office during office hours (Tuesday – Friday) and we’ll make sure it goes to helping with flood relief (make sure you mark your check “Tennessee Flood Relief”).
STAY INFORMED. Stay tuned here on Servolution, but also keep an eye on these spots online as well:
Check out this video from Kim Braud missions director at Healing Place church. For more information about missions local and international please email her at kim.braud@healingplacechurch.org
Also we would like to thank all the churches participating in Servolution 2010. Please drop off any testimonies, stats, pictures or videos under the stories sections of this website. If you have any problems doing that please email serve@healingplacechurch.org
This Tuesday March 16th , we will be hosting a live servolution Q&A with Pastor Dino Rizzo of Healing Place Chruch, along with representatives from the Outreach staff at Healing Place. Areas such as outreach strategy, starting a “serve” culture in your church, and creative ideas will all be discussed.
At 12:50 come back to Servolution.org and click on the front banner that says Live Q&A and you will be redirected to the discussion room where you will be able to watch the live video feed and also ask questions to the panel or to staff in the chat room. The webinar will begin promptly at 1pm.
If you have any questions you would like to ask, feel free to email all questions to Serve@healingplacechurch.org. You will also be able to ask Questions during the Q&A via the Live Chat feature.
Check out this note from one of our good friends at Hillsong, Sydney. Dave is on the front lines in serving and reaching people for the cause of Christ.
Hillsong is so excited to be partnering with Servolution 2010. We are pumped to be able to share the love of God with people in our community through serving them, and to be doing it with so many other churches around the world.
We are hoping to have 1,000+ volunteers participate in Sydney and Brisbane during Servolution doing all sorts of great acts of service like youth sporting tournaments, makeover’s of homeless refuges, graffiti blitz’s, homeless fun day out, BBQ’s of University campuses, home renovations + heaps more.
I encourage any church thinking about jumping on board to JUST DO IT! Servolution is about getting our hands dirty and demonstrating what God is all about: LOVE.
Last month we had our annual Amplified youth conference. Thousands of junior high and high school students came together to worship, fellowship, and hear inspiring messages from several speakers from across the world, including Matthew Barnett and Christine Caine. Not only were students able to take part in great worship experiences, but they were also given an opportunity to use their hearts and creativity to plan and execute outreaches in the Baton Rouge area. A thousand students were divided into teams, given $25 gift cards (for supplies), and told to go out at SERVE!
We were blown away by the ideas these teams came up with and the stories they shared. From giving away Valentine’s flowers at Waffle Houses, cleaning business windows, returning shopping carts from store parking lots, and visiting homeless shelters, students were able to truly take ownership of the heart of serving and make it their own.
To highlight one of these student lead outreaches, a team of 10th and 11th grade guys went to Wal Mart and bought dozens of chocolate bars. They then headed to a local assisted living facility to help host a “Valentine’s Day Senior Prom”. They were able to pass out free chocolate, serve refreshments, dance, and pray with the residents. The team reported that they had a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day with the elderly who are so often forgotten. This is what Servolution is all about.
We are making great strides in the Haiti relief effort thanks to your generosity! Our mission to share God’s love is definitely being felt in Haiti where there is great need right now. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus! Check back regularly to stay up to date with relief efforts.
Here’s a few of the ways you’ve made a difference:
• Donated to Samaritan’s Purse as they are accomplishing much on the ground there. They also update with “Daily Situational Reports” so you can stay up to date with everything that is being done.
• Supported a Haitian pastor whose influence is critical to the relief efforts. He and his family will be taken care of so that he can concentrate on ministering to the community.
• Hundreds of dollars worth of medical supplies have been shipped to the Love a Child compound where they are being used daily.
• Purchased 25 tents through The New Haiti Project for Schools and Churches.
• Sent several assessment teams to organize our long term strategy and meet with local officials and pastors.
• Donated resources to Disaster Network, an organization who is also a critical presence on the ground.
Besides the things we have already done, we are also working on a few more. Please be in prayer with us as we continue to work on the details and decide what is our best long-term strategy.
