Today is going to be one long, very busy day. Our church, The Way Assembly of God, in Middleton, Idaho, is hosting a yard sale. Our first one ever. I know people who are big fans of yard sales; I’m not one of them. But this one is important to me because any proceeds will go to benefit our local school district. The funds will be given to the district’s family advocate to use to buy necessary items for children from families in need, things like shoes, underwear, clothes, school supplies, even laundry soap.
Every year we buy gift cards from places like Walmart, Target, Staples, using donations from our congregation. This year we decided to host a yard sale to add to those donations. The outreach to our school children is our biggest outreach into our community. It includes buying for a family in need at Christmas that we also obtain from those vetted by the school district’s family advocate.
I love this outreach because it isn’t geared for us to increase members. It helps families in need and it is somewhat anonymous. Jesus said that when we take care of those in need, we are doing it as unto Him. “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” [Matt 25:40 NIV]
He also reminded us that we will always have the poor with us, not that we need a reminder [Matthew 26:11]. All we need to do is open our eyes and we will see the poor in every part of the world, even in our own neighborhoods. It can be overwhelming at times. The little we do can seem like we are trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon, but that doesn’t mean we should do nothing. We may not be able to change the circumstances of every poor child, but we can change it for one, or two, or three that are within our reach.
So …. If you have nothing to do today … come to The Way’s yard sale. We even accept donations if you don’t find anything to buy!
