I am from India, and came to America three years ago to work on my doctorate. When my wife and I arrived, we knew we needed to find a church, but we quickly realized that most churches in our town are not diverse at all. Once we settled on what has now become our church here, we spoke to our pastor about this. We know there are communities in our town of various ethnicities, where many of the people just recently came to America. Our pastor looked at us, and asked what we would like to do about it. This… Read More
Loving Your Neighbor
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As a children's pastor, I've been blessed to have seen so many children come to Christ. There are few things more beautiful than seeing Jesus in a child's eyes. But the bulk of my ministry happens outside the church building. Several times a week, I find myself eating at a restaurant for one reason or another. As a Christian, I offer a prayer of thanksgiving over each meal. A number of years ago, I asked the Lord for more opportunities to share the gospel with people in my immediate area, particularly people who wouldn't normally be in church. The Lord challenged me… Read More
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It is not very often that one can drive down a street and see tangible results of their volunteer work. But this is a gift I receive by volunteering with Christmas In Action - Spartanburg, a small nonprofit that aids the elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners in our county with free home repairs. "Love your neighbor as yourself," (Matthew 22:39) is one of my favorite verses and words that I strive to live by each day. My husband and I were familiar with the great work of the Christmas in Action chapters around the country, and we started a Spartanburg chapter when we… Read More
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People often think about meeting others' needs when it comes to housing, food, and clothing. But, people tend to forget about other basic needs, such as the ability to do laundry. Coming from a social worker background, I spent time working with families in low income communities where I saw how people struggled to clean their clothes each week, or how many children who have aged out of foster care don't know how to wash clothes. So, when someone in my church's ladies group mentioned a laundry ministry in nearby Knoxville, I thought it was something I'd like to be involved… Read More
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As a seminary professor, my days are filled with theological questions, biblical languages, and the deep study of scripture. It's a wonderful occupation and I love it. However, it is what I do outside of work that gives me the greatest joy. Each week, I spend two evenings with Congolese refugee families that have settled in our community. I bring them items they need, help them find work, and get them plugged into English language centers. But really what I do is simply listen. I listen to their stories of their homeland. I listen as they share about the horrors of war.… Read More
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If you have seen comfort dogs on site at crisis situations, then you've probably seen a member of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog ministry team---a network of volunteers and dogs working together to bring compassion where it is needed. This powerful ministry officially began in 2008, but God was working on it even before it became "official." When Hurricane Katrina hit, the LCC Disaster Response Team set up a disaster triage. The team was asked to perform search and rescue for people with animals as many people were refusing to leave their flooding homes without their pets. The team saw firsthand the… Read More