Bible Study Throws Baby Shower for Pregnancy Clinic

Bible Study Throws Baby Shower for Pregnancy Clinic | [View online]( [Give Now]( Advertisement [Local Church Outreach]( [CT Pastors]( [Subscribe]( [More on Outreach]( Wednesday, July 24, 2019 Churches Mobilize Small Groups for Service Last Friday, our second daughter turned one month old. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded just how many essentials are needed for a new infant: burp rags, onesies, blankets, bottles, pacifiers, and diapers—so many diapers! Those things add up quickly and most need to be replaced after a short period of use. Most of our support—gift cards, meals, prayers, and more—has come from three places: my parents’ Sunday school class, my in-laws’ Sunday school class, and our own small group. These small church groups can be the tip of the spear for church outreach efforts and service projects. [Bible Study Throws Baby Shower for Pregnancy Clinic]( I was encouraged by a [recent story]( from Waxahachie, Texas, in which a ladies’ Bible class visited FirstLook Pregnancy Clinic to conduct a “baby shower” to help restock the clinic’s shop, Noah’s Boutique. These women from Midlothian Creekside Church, led by class member Elaine Culp, learned about FirstLook’s many services while helping make some of those things happen through their donations. Noah’s Boutique allows the organization’s clients to purchase new children’s attire and baby essentials by redeeming reward points. These points are acquired by attending educational classes, as well as participating in any other services offered by FirstLook. “It was our pleasure to help out with the baby clothes and other supplies,” Culp stated. “It was nice learning about all the services that this clinic provides to women needing some assistance.” These women could have donated these items directly to the families in need, but by partnering with FirstLook, they were able to achieve the same thing while supporting the other services that organization provides. I appreciate the fact that this kind of thing doesn’t require a whole church’s coordination—it can be arranged by a single small group. [Missouri Church Disperses to Serve Several Communities at Once]( Small-scale outreach opportunities like the one above are wonderful, but it’s also encouraging to see a church coordinate its small groups to serve an entire region. Recently, Lynwood Baptist Church held a church-wide [City2City outreach event](, dispersing their Life Groups to serve several communities at once. The church bought groceries and gas for people as random acts of kindness; backpacks were purchased for local schools that will be filled with food for students and their families; there were painting and landscaping projects; the church made a donation of items for the Central Academy professional clothing closet (plus racks, hangers and a steamer to go with it). The Cape Girardeau Police Department received a $7,100 donation to purchase protective gear for their Special Response Team along with tripods for evidence cameras. (Plus cookies, brownies and Chick-fil-A gift cards for employees.) The list goes on. … Lynwood used $75,000 of its reserves to make this outreach possible. Church leadership already has marked their calendars for August 1, 2020 to engage the community again. Not only did this united effort result in several new attendees at Lynwood Baptist Church’s Sunday service, a few joined the church and others committed their lives to Christ. [Equip Your Small Groups to Serve]( I’m thankful for the big and small ways churches are mobilizing their small groups to show people God’s love in tangible ways. [This article]( by Amber Day from [SmallGroups.com]( (which was also featured in the [Spring 2018 issue of CT Pastors]( offers even more ways you can use your church’s small groups to serve your city. Here’s one of Day’s many helpful suggestions: One of my favorite ways to spread the gospel in our local community is having our small groups serve at unexpected events around the city. We pick up trash at motorcycle rallies, organize our local city-wide Halloween, and even cancel Sunday services twice a year to host a city-wide serving event called Love Tulsa—an event led by small-group leaders. Nothing bonds a group together quite like getting your hands dirty, both physically and metaphorically, and making a tangible impact in your city. Our small-group leaders choose an organization that they feel passionate about and simply ask them how the group can serve them. Some of the organizations are openly Christian, some are secular, and others fall somewhere in-between. It can be difficult to get churchgoers to sign up for service project en masse, but by equipping and unleashing existing groups—Bible studies, Sunday school classes, and small groups—your church can impact its city in big and small ways. [Kyle Rohane] [Kyle Rohane] [Kyle Rohane](mailto:krohane@christianitytoday.com) Editor, CT Pastors Advertisement More from CT Pastors [How Can So Many Pastors Be Godly and Dysfunctional at the Same Time?]( [How Can So Many Pastors Be Godly and Dysfunctional at the Same Time?]( Illuminating the blind spots in most approaches to spiritual formation. Todd Wilson [Read More]( [The Prayer-Centered Church]( [The Prayer-Centered Church]( What it takes to lead a prayerful community. Adam Stadtmiller [Read More]( [What My Church Gained—and Lost—When We Stopped Renting]( [What My Church Gained—and Lost—When We Stopped Renting]( I never thought I'd miss it . . . Aaron Armstrong [Read More]( Related Newsletters [CT Pastors Newsletter]( Each weekly CT Pastors issue equips you with the best wisdom and practical tools for church ministry. [Sign Up Now]( [Small Groups Newsletter]( Regular access to innovative training resources, Bible-based curriculum, and practical articles. [Sign Up Now]( Advertisement Follow Us: [Follow on Facebook]( [Follow on Twitter]( Need fresh, practical ideas for reaching your community? Each week, you’ll receive a wealth of invaluable ideas and resources for the outreach-oriented church leader. Local Church Outreach Delivered free via email to subscribers Weekly. [Subscribe]( to this newsletter. 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