“The light that shines the farthest, shines brightest at home” – this is one of my all time favorite missions quotes from J. Oswald Sanders. It reminds me of the inherent hypocrisy of saying how mission minded we are while driving past deep needs of people groups in our community. For our church, regular Faith In Action weekends where we get intentional about ministry to the neediest and sharing the good news has opened my eyes to this truth even more. Without neglecting the needs of the world, we must take time to look around us. Here are a few of our upcoming Faith in Action Projects:

Nestled in the heart of Madisonville, LA, one of the wealthiest areas on the Northshore, is this family that has no running water and open holes in the floor. Next week we’ll spend time cleaning up this property, pressure washing, painting, addressing quality of life issues, and being a blessing to the family however we can.

Near to this address is the household of a disabled/handicap (due to polio) single parent with three kids. That’s right. There are no steps on the porch and the head of household is disabled. We will be taking time to bless this family through cleaning the property, pressure washing the house, etc.

The dishwasher of an elderly, widowed trailer park resident burst and leaked all over the floor. Long-term results are open holes in the floor and water damaged cabinets. We hope to repair, replace, and be a blessing to this household next week.

Tammany Hills Baptist Church has been in decline for years. Our Association of churches has worked with them on a track torevitalization and she is coming to life! Next week we’ll be helping with a door to door campaign to invite 2,000 neighborhood residents to church and let them know that we are praying for them. We’ll also tackle some handyman projects around the church.

“This is all social work stuff. What about sharing the Gospel?” We’ll be touching each household around these homes as we bring change to the physical structures. Through servanthood and being the good news, we can expect opportunity to share the Good news. Excited about the possibilities of shining bright in this world and very bright close to home.