A few Sunday’s ago, Kent Anderson from Rural Compassion Ministries, came and spoke at our church. Rural Compassion www.ruralcompassion.org) works in conjunction with Convoy of Hope. Kent spoke about “Casting the Net,” a principle he took from the story of Jesus telling the fishermen to cast their nets on the other side. The fishermen were obedient and they pulled in an abundance of fish.
So often when a speaker comes to a small church, he or she shares stories and examples that are overwhelmingly impossible for a “not-so-large” body of believers. Just the very thought of trying to plan such an event or outreach causes the Pastor to break out in a cold sweat.
I was so encouraged by Kent’s message that I wanted to encourage you as well. “Casting the Net” is the principle of reaching out and investing lives so that they will see the love of Jesus being played out in a practical way. It doesn’t have to be a huge project, but it should be something that you have prayed about and believe God is calling you to.
Ken shared some stories of real life examples of “Casting the Net.” One story was of a church who felt led to cast the net in an elementary school in their area. They contacted the Principal and asked him if the school could use a donation of backpacks, a traditional school project that many groups have climbed on board with.
The Principal responded with, “That would be nice, but what our students really need is underwear.”
The church group was a little shocked by this reply! The Principal went on to explain that many of the families were very poor and couldn’t afford to buy underwear, so the children showed up to school without them. The church readily agreed that this was a need that they could help meet. Many families shared how they had been blessed by “The Underwear Church.”
Another group reached out to the teachers at their local school through bringing doughnuts, bagels or other snacks and putting them in the teacher’s lounge. My daughter has been a part of a group that has done this as well. The teachers are so appreciative and it helps to bring joy to their often unappreciated position.
I would like to see others embrace the idea of casting the net. Schools aren’t the only option to reach out to. It could be a neighbor, a local business, or adopting a family. The important part is to be willing. Pray and ask God to give you creative ideas.
I would like to share stories and ideas in future posts. If you would like, drop me a line at jeanbundas22@gmail.com. Share your ideas and what happened, even if you don’t feel like it was a major deal. As others see your ideas and hear your stories, they may be encouraged to step out as well. Don’t worry about spelling, just provide the basic info and I will share them as they come in.
As the song says, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going…”
Let’s start a fire for the glory of God, what better time than to begin than the Christmas season!
