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I know our Lord knows, I know He is at work, and I have watched Him work in electrifying ways. But sadly, at times, I forget. Yet, He is so good to remind me again and again. Have you been there too?

As I see our Food Pantry ministry ebb and flow I try to remember when it flourished and how the Lord used this ministry to serve one woman in two distinct roles. I will call her Jance.

Jance had been blessed by the Food Pantry for years; she would come and I would take her downstairs and load her up with groceries. Sometimes she was jolly, sometimes cantankerous. But early one summer day she showed up and said she wanted to manage it. She knew that it needed some oversight and I was grateful.

The transition from partaker to dispenser was touching; she patiently sat through training, absorbing every word. Her pen ran out of ink as she took notes, she prayed, and asked really good questions.

The next week, she showed up at my desk and announced “I am going to be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 – 4. That’s when the Food Pantry will be open. I need copies of the intake forms, and I am going to make some calls. Does the phone downstairs work?”

I was stunned. “Yes, the phone works. But it’s pretty hit and miss when people come for food,” I warned, “I would hate for you to sit there.”

“Don’t worry, I have been praying. I know the Lord will send me people. Now, I need to make some calls. Is it open?”  I nodded and handed her the forms and a clip board. She cadged a few cookies and skipped off.

I prayed too. It was rare to get more than one family a month for the Food Pantry. But I forgot that we have a Lord that hears and desires to have His children serve.

At the end of the first day, Jance returned my clip board and handed me two neatly filled intake forms. “I had the best time!  This one was a couple on bikes that are heading to Canada. We had to pick kind of carefully. The other one was a single mother. I really like doing this! I like to hear their stories. I get to tell them about Jesus.”

I was stunned; two random families in one day? Wow! And she had seized the opportunity for the gospel too!

Jance blossomed that summer. She made connections with farmers for fresh vegetables, with a duck owner for fresh eggs, and most of all, she was enveloped in being a blessing to other people.

The Lord didn’t forget her prayers; that was the busiest summer that the Food Pantry was in use.

But the biggest change wasn’t in the Food Pantry, it was in Jance! Instead of holding back and being sometimes befuddled, she was lucid and engaged. Instead of being isolated, she prayed with and for people. She remembered their names; and she was smiling.

Like so many things, it was for a season, and like all seasons, the leaves began to crisp, the faux-sunflowers began to crumble, and the mornings began to frost. Jance’s health declined with the waning warmth. She finally agreed to a co-leader, and then had to step away completely.

But I will never forget the year that God used the Food Pantry to transformation Jance’s heart, attitude and life!

We have had other volunteers since then, and they use some of Jance’s policies but right now, there is no one to manage and oversee the pantry. And the Lord no longer brings a lot of people to it. I find that I pray for those days, for another person to be called and blessed by this ministry. Would you be the one?

Vickie was one of MCC’s first volunteers at the Cedar Crest Farmer’s Market; she has a servant’s heart and deep understanding of how God loves each and every one of us. I interviewed Vickie a few weeks ago about her experience and got a profound lesson in how God loves each and every one us! I hope you will too.

When Vickie began serving at the Farmer’s Market in 2015 she didn’t know what God would do with people’s hearts as MCC volunteers brought water and shared conversation with the vendors.

But she saw God move in big ways!

“This smile, that hello, a bottle of water……God used everything,” she said. “God gave us so many little opportunities every week to share Jesus through the Farmer’s Market!”

She said she was personally amazed at what he did with, in and through her. God truly allowed the atmosphere of the church to bless everyone there; the vendors, volunteers and the shoppers, she said.

Although Vickie no longer attends MCC or even lives in the state of New Mexico, she took lessons from her time as a volunteer with the market and MCC that will last her a lifetime.

“All too often we broad-brush a group of people,” she said, “but the truth is we need to realize that they each have a name, a face and a life-journey and through this opportunity we get to step into that and walk alongside them. The hairs on their head are counted by God, just like ours! They are individuals, not just buyers or vendors and each one matters to God!”

What an essential reminder to each of us in a day that it is so easy, and common, to judge others.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been involved in VBS in some way. I have been in VBS since preschool but the earliest thing I can remember is going to the market during the Jerusalem themed week.

Every year, the theme changed and that’s part of what made it so exciting. It was like every VBS was completely different each season and it made the experience better overall.

As I went from a participant to a volunteer, the role was different but I still felt very much a part of VBS because I was involved in the day to day activities.

The experience was something that reinforced what I had already learned at Sunday school and other church-related activities I participated in.

VBS is something that I’ve looked forward to each year as a child and it’s something that I still feel is important to me since I get to spend time with children and grow as a leader.

It's cool to grow relationships with kids on a personal level and watch them become more confident. They begin asking and answering questions and as a leader, it's extremely rewarding to watch them mature and transform.

We all have dreams, right? 

At MCC, our dream is simple; mutual transformation for the glory of God.

I have another dream too.

I dream of a revival spreading through our local middle and high schools with MCC youth group kids on the front lines, battling it out in prayer and with Jesus’ love.

I dream of a church where the years between the 6^th and the 12^th grades are a time to learn what it looks like to take up a cross daily and to live a life worthy of our calling.

Here’s the cool part: my dream is coming true!

I think that as a church, MCC has traditionally underestimated its youth and bought into the lie that young people in our church are capable of no more than avoiding doing drugs and shoplifting.

We’ve believed that spiritually, it’s good enough for our youth to just “stay out of trouble”. What garbage!

You see, there’s a reason Satan has taken the time to feed us this garbage- it’s because he fears God’s plans for these kids! He fears their passion and their willingness to throw off traditionalism to ask “why?”, and with good reason. I’ve been blessed to see the capacity of 15 mid-highers when they see something they want to change and it’s powerful!

So what can we do to invest in Christianity’s next generation? Here are some ideas:

• We’re looking for a fun, youth-oriented man to join our leadership team.

• If you have some life experience you could share, we have a HUGE need for people to take on a middle or high schooler in a discipleship relationship.

• If you’re a ministry leader, look for ways to open up student leadership positions. Show some trust in a student, and allow God to work through them.

• Anyone and everyone can invite the 6th-12th graders in their lives to join us on Thursdays at 6:00 PM for weekly Youth Group.

There are a thousand opportunities and ways to harness the potential of the youth at MCC that I haven’t even thought of yet, but you know your needs better than I ever could, and we’re always open to suggestions, so keep dreaming with me!

In the Spring of 2016, Ellen felt like God was calling her to contribute something to the MCC family that had been her church home for just a year. 

Although she had attended both Catholic and Lutheran churches, she considered herself a new Christian.  After years as a nurse, always on-call, she didn’t feel like she was able to commit a huge amount of time to ministry, but she knew that she wanted to serve somehow.

And like He often does, God opened a door!

Ellen heard about the need for a volunteer at the Farmer’s Market held in MCC’s parking lot. She thought, “I love Mountain Christian Church, and like talking about tomatoes, so I thought it would be a good fit!”

She was a little nervous on her first day volunteering. She asked Pastor Frank, “Do I have to sing? Do I have to dance? What should I do? I’m not sure if I’m ready to be a witness for Christ yet!” Luckily, Frank’s response was that she just needed to be herself!

Isn’t that what God calls us to do; to be genuine, honest and available? As we allow relationships to grow, we find that by being available, we have the chance to share the Gospel.  

You see, the Farmer’s Market ministry isn’t about tomatoes, farmers or selling honey. It’s about building relationships, it’s about building community, and most importantly -- it’s about allowing God to use you when the time is right!

Each week before serving at the Farmer’s Market, Ellen lifts this prayer up to God, “Guide my hands, Lord. Lead me to those you want me to speak to. Holy Spirit, open my eyes and my ears that I would be aware of how you might use me today.”

What would happen if we each lifted up that prayer every day? Imagine the ways that God would use us; if we only made ourselves available.

In the end, Ellen said that it was the Farmer’s Market Ministry that has grown her as a Christian……not the other way around!

It’s easy to enter into a new endeavor thinking we are going to completely rework it, rebuild it, or change it; and then before you know it, it transforms you! That’s God’s work in us.

Look for Ellen, and other MCC volunteers, at the Cedar Crest Farmer's Market beginning June 7th in the MCC parking lot!