This weekend, our church shut its doors and urged its followers to be more like Christ. The goal was to set aside time for people to actively serve in the community.
A progressive idea for a progressive church. I love the vision of RiverTree! It is no longer about routine. How are you changing if you sit in church for an hour every Sunday? More importantly, WHO are you changing? Christianity is about living it everyday and doing things that break routine. Routine has left the building.
Our small group decided to serve at the Canton Christian Home. The CCH is a place for senior citizens who either live independently, with assistance, or for individuals who need health care.
We held an ice cream social!
My job was to transport the people from their rooms to the activity center, and then back to their rooms. Megan was the "scooper" and aided in passing the ice cream to the folks who attended. We had at least 50 people who came to share in the event.
Inbetween the transporting, I had the chance to sit down and talk with a lady named Ida. She is 90 years old. They sat her at a table by herself, so I thought I would keep her company. It was the best 30 minutes I have spent in awhile. She was so happy for me to be sitting with her. She beamed about her kids and grandkids (repeating the same thing about 4 times). She talked about her late husband and her boating trips to Portage Lakes. Family was, and still is, important to her. Ida made me feel special. Not because I was being a friend to her, but because she was being a friend to me. We joked. We laughed. We became friends.
Our group decided, pretty much right then and there, that this was a great place to be. We plan on having something like today at least once a month. People that are happy to be alive, wish that they had been gone long ago, and for those that do not have anybody to talk with ...felt love for a few hours.
I tried to picture myself that way. It is hard to believe that these folks were our age at one time and now some of them can't eat ice cream with their own hands.
Thank you God for this experience and for allowing Yourself to work through us as we continue to assist those at the CCH.
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