Body of Christ
One of my favorite imageries of how all of us believers can work together to share the message of God’s redemption and for God’s glory is the illustration of all of us being part of one body (the body of Christ).
First Corinthians 12 says, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work (verses 4-6).” Paul goes on to say in verse 27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
One of the true blessings coming back at us as we work at Urban Bible Outreach is that we get to meet some amazing people with a heart for the Lord and for the widows, orphans, lost, hurting and down-and-outers. It reinforces our mission when the Lord shows us His heart for our community we serve and stirs up our enthusiasm for the Great Commission when we talk to other like-minded warriors for God. One of those such warriors is Susie Jennings, from Operation Care International, whom I spoke with for the first time just recently.
For 10 years now, Operation Care has been utilizing the Dallas Convention Center during one day in December to invite homeless (and very poor, but working) individuals in to what has been called the “nation’s largest Christmas party.” Doors open early and then these folks are given an assortment of necessities and luxuries (although for many of us, those “luxuries” are every day occurrences):
- breakfast
- prayer and evangelism one on one
- shoes, socks, foot washing
- coats
- sleeping bags
- makeovers by Mary Kay and Paul Mitchell salon
- warm meals
- flu shots
- dental services
- eyeglasses
- free phone call (to hopefully reunite them with family)
- psychologists for counsel
- bus fare to return home
- job resources
- referrals to churches
Last year at this one event, Operation Care helped over 8,000 people and this year, Urban Bible Outreach has been asked to help them with 1,000 large print and compact Bibles. We can attend this event as a partner organization and watch as lives are transformed right before our eyes. I’m so excited that I cannot wait to start collecting Bibles and praying for the lives that will most certainly be touched.
Will you join us in this effort?
Check out Operation Care as well as Susie’s amazing testimony as to how this nonprofit started: http://opcareint.org/susies-story