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Balancing Service and Solace

If we aren't making a difference beyond our walls, are we the church? But if we are making a difference, there's going to be battle fatigue.
—Paul Anderson

A few years ago, our church began to catch the vision: Christ our Lord was sending us out to be his agents in the fight against evil, suffering, and brokenness.

That was about the time churches in our community began to take more seriously our responsibility to the local needy. We started small, first opening a simple food pantry at one church, offering food once a week. Eventually sixteen churches were offering help several times a week.

We also "converted" a bar so that we could feed and minister to the homeless, destitute, and street people. Next a home was opened to disciple men who became Christians and wanted their lives changed. A women's home is now in the planning stage.

Our church became acquainted with the staffs at the local Alcohol Recovery Center and Eating Disorders Clinic. We were eventually asked to start a chaplaincy program ...

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March
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