Outreach and a Can of Olives

Unfortuately, it's not uncommon for single moms to be taken advantage of by some automotive repair shops.

Recently a repair-savy volunteer and I looked at a single mom's car. The motor ran rough and it was reported to have gas leaking on top of the engine. A repair shop told her there was a broken engine mount, the serpentine belt needed changed, and a fuel line needed replaced. The estimated repair cost, $430.

What we saw was unbelievable. A daughter's boyfriend replaced the spark plugs and noticed a vent hose with an open end. Thinking the hose should be closed up, he grabbed a can of olives from the food pantry, stuck it in the opening, and tighted a hose clamp around it to ensure it stayed there. With this he effectively stopped the necessary air flow through the air filtering system. Not good! No wonder the motor coughed and sputtered. This was all done before the car was taken to the repair shop.

The bottom line, there was no broke engine mount; the serpentine belt did not need changed; and the gas may have leaked a little as a result of the can of olives and a clogged air passage. What needed changed was an idler pulley holding the serpentine belt.

This one example shows the value our oil change outreach provides to single moms. This mom was was extremely grateful to the volunteer I brought with me that day. Her anxieties were calmed. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for our volunteer team!

Kindness or Love?

Have you ever thought of kindness as distinct from love? I never really thought about it until the subject came up in our Sunday School class. We were discussing the list of personal qualities found in the New Testament book of 2nd Peter, chapter one: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Our teacher made the observation that if this is a sequential list, then kindness comes before love.

I think we make deliberate decisions to be kind, regardless of how we’re feeling at the time. We make these decisions because we know there are single moms who really need and value our expression of compassion. Our awesome volunteers make these choice decisions to express kindness, often in the face of straining work schedules and adverse health conditions.

Beyond the Walls oil change for single moms gives us a vehicle for this deliberate kindness. A simple oil change is a tangible expression of kindness. If our kindness has the right motive then it cannot help but erupt in genuine love.
I love how the Message Bible reads, “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.”

Ministry Outreach

My heart swelled today with gratitude when I viewed the contribution of the volunteers at the oil change outreach. When thrust into new assignments or a different room location, team members responded with the same exemplary service we’ve grown accustomed too. There’s no doubt our volunteer team has learned to roll-with-the-punches of weather changes (good ‘ole Ozarks), fluctuation in volunteer levels, and client demand. I’m proud of our volunteers!

Today I saw our lady volunteers engaged in genuine conversation with the single moms…I saw our men in the registration area completing the paperwork with excellence…I saw our greeters being gentle and courteous towards the single moms…I saw our lady volunteers in the café area serving single moms with smiles and encouragement…and I saw our men in the oil change area working with diligence to complete the vehicle inspections and oil change. Wow, what a team!

And to top off this spectacular morning, Central’s MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group shared their resources in ministry with the single moms. They brought boxes of good used-clothing, toys, and a large cake to share with the single moms. In addition, each single mom received a potting plant to take home. It turned out great and the single moms were very appreciative! Thank you MOPS!

Teen Volunteers Rock!

Opportunity: “a favorable juncture of circumstances” is a dictionary definition. Opportunities abound at Beyond the Walls oil change outreach because a “juncture” or a point in time is happening right before our eyes. This is caused by a unique set of circumstances. What are they?

Young men, teenage guys are working side-by-side with men in the oil change area and learning basic car maintenance skills. There are a couple things happening to bring this about. First, there are some single moms raising teenage boys without a father figure in the house. They see an opportunity for their sons to get involved with positive men from Central and learn a practical skill which could help them for a life-time. Second, there are awesome teenage young men who want to make a difference in their own life and by helping others, in the lives of single moms.

Please pray for this “opportunity”. As a leader in the oil change outreach I want to facilitate what God ultimately wants and directs. This convergence of circumstances include discussions started several months ago to facilitate a male teenage club, collaborating with the oil change team, to help teach car maintenance skills to teenage guys in Greene County.

Anybody see an opportunity here? This past Saturday there were 5 teenage guys helping in the oil change area, getting their hands dirty, and loving it!

Hooray for Teen Volunteers!

I want to publicly thank some awesome volunteers who have served in Beyond the Walls oil change outreach this year. There are many more to thank than these and I will continue honoring others as well in the weeks to come, but I’ve chosen these individuals to write about today.

The first are high school teenagers: Nathaniel, Cathy, and Joshua. It’s amazing when many teenagers (and adults) like to sleep in on a Saturday morning, that these teenagers defy a norm and volunteer their time to helping our single moms. Nathaniel and Joshua are a tremendous help on the pit crew checking out all the vehicle inspection items before the oil and filter are changed. Our pit crew members will tell you their morning runs much smoother when Nathaniel and Joshua are there to help. Cathy has started assisting with helping the children of single moms inside the Fusion Center. She started coming with her parents almost three years ago; now she is giving her gifts to help as well.

High school can be crazy with all kinds of things to do and homework to complete. I’m sure it’s no different with these three. I know they’re also involved in other ministries and activities at Central such as Royal Rangers, Teen Bible Quiz, and youth group activities. But many months you will also see them on the outreach Saturday, smiling and giving God and the outreach team their best. Hooray for our teens!

Outreach Hope by Jan McKinnon

I walked along alone, dead to the silence within me and oblivious to the havoc around me. Day in and day out existing only to acquire the next soul numbing substance. I was lost with no where to go and no place to call home. Such is the life of a drug addict.

Hopeless and empty, I had "strayed from the path of understanding and had come to rest in the company of the dead (Proverbs 21:16)."

On a park bench my weary soul cried out, "there has to be a better way." Someone reached out and gave me a hand. Outreach did not see my impossible situation, Outreach saw a life with possibilities.

Because someone reached out to me, I am no longer alone, but I have a friend that is closer than a brother. The silence within me was replaced with a song of praise in my heart. The soul numbing substance was replaced with the life giving Word. I have a home, a family, and a blessed assurance that Jesus is MINE!

Jan McKinnon

Amazing Volunteers!

I’m encouraged time-and-time again by our volunteers who make Central Assembly’s outreach possible. For instance, Ron, who we affectionately call “shorty” is a hard-working man who has experienced rough waters in his life, but he continues month-after-month to give of his time and effort, serving on the oil change pit-crew. You see shorty has been a brittle-diabetic for 28 years. He is disabled, insulin dependent, and must monitor his condition on a constant basis. Yet, he comes to the outreach and works hard. He commented to me, “God has given me so much, it’s time for me to give back to Him.” Amazing!

First-time volunteers Bill and Debbie arrived at the oil change and asked if there was anything they could help with. I love that! They were able to step in and call the auto parts store to make sure our pit crew received the right oil and filter. They too, are facing challenges in life. But, in spite of these challenges, they gave their time to invest in single moms who needed their vehicle serviced. At the end of the morning, we had prayer with them, asking for God’s divine healing in their life. Debbie thanked me for allowing her to be involved, saying, “I felt worthwhile, like I was working again.” I should be the one thanking her, which I did; but I was so impressed with her thankful, giving heart.

With their permission, I have shared their stories. Volunteers positively impact my life! I love Mark Mittelberg’s treatment of a simple but powerful thought in his book, Becoming a Contagious Church, when he talks about “the power of a combined effort”. This thought covers what I am not able to do; I am so thankful to be part of a team effort!