Are You In the Lord’s Army?

How are you at 6:30 on a Sat. morning? My granddaughter (age 10) and I were recently making breakfast with church members for 30 homeless men staying in the Congregations for the Homeless (CFH) shelter in a local Lutheran Church. She was cooking pancakes, talking and laughing with the men and so happy as God’s servant.   She brought joy to them.  What’s the point?  Volunteering in any capacity has great rewards for those served and for those serving.

Making pancakes for the men of Congregations for the Homeless.

Volunteers make up an army serving the Lord. Speaking of which, my wife and I were grandkid sitting this past week and had a 10, 7 and 2 ½ yr old for a few days in Central Oregon. Then, on a 7 hour drive home the youngest wanted to hear over and over again the song, “I’m in the Lord’s Army.”  Wanting it replayed for about an hour, it brought home a really neat point, it doesn’t matter what our skills are. We have a place in God’s army to serve.

At CFH, we see over 100 homeless men in our main shelter each year, many of whom are trying to find the path to a productive life. We see another 100 in our cold winter shelters and day center. This morning at Bible study for some of these men, our volunteer leader discussed the story of John Newton, former slave trader, who encountered the Lord and eventually wrote hundreds of Christian songs including Amazing Grace. The CFH men got the message that redemption and a changed life is possible and that it takes persistence and patience, as it did for John Newton who struggled for 13 years before the full impact of a relationship with the Lord became real.

I am so thankful for the men who bring spiritual mentoring to these men and invest time by conducting Bible studies, teaching job search and interviewing skills and one-one counsel on building effective relationships and growing in Christ.  Every one of our volunteers say that their faith walk is improved by giving of their time in a meaningful endeavor.

Come and join the Lord’s Army whether at Congregations for the Homeless or another venue (your church, Union Gospel Mission etc) to follow God’s admonition to take care of the orphans and widows, serve the poor and visit the prisoners.

I’m in the Lord’s Army, Yes Sir.