Christian Fellowship Church's Sermons

Christian Fellowship Church

15 hours ago

“This is great!” he said with a big smile. TJ* had a smile that matched his personality – big and engaging. “The neighbors never get together,” TJ said. “We’ve been here almost as long as anybody, except maybe the family up on the corner, they’ve been here the longest”

Don’t forget Mrs…” TJ’s wife interjected with an equally big smile as she nodded toward an apartment with several flowerpots overflowing with brilliantly colored flowers. “I think she’s been here the longest.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said, ”But the whole time we’ve lived here we never had anything like this where the neighborhood comes out together. We need it. We need something that brings us together.”

“And lunch!” I said holding up a half-eaten chicken sandwich. We stood at the corner of Bellview and Bethel streets eating some of the 150 Chick-fil-a box lunches set out for the neighborhood to share.

Tj Laughed. “Yeah food always helps. I can make some next time. I’d love to make a bunch of bacon,” he said with another big smile.

This is a connection we made through For Columbia - a group of people committed to making a difference in our city, and more importantly, in the people of Columbia. A group of 30 or so volunteers participated for several hours to join the people here in building pride and community in this nearby neighborhood. Many in the neighborhood are short-term renters, and others are long-term residents like TJ and his wife.

We talked for quite a while as we ate. The food and ice water were refreshing after spending three hours with a team of volunteers hacking our way through years of overgrown brush along a fencerow. Chainsaws, rakes, trimmers, wheelbarrows and lots of back muscles had been put to good use on this task. Other teams had been busy sweeping streets, picking up trash in the nearby wooded area, repairing this and that, and most importantly, building relationships. Relationships with those volunteering and with the great people of the neighborhood.

We made several new friends that day. One in particular seemed to know and interact with everyone. We laughed and talked with her as she stopped neighbors driving by to offer them lunch.

The time came for us to say our goodbyes and pack up with a promise to return in a few weeks. We’ll certainly be back, not only the second week of July, but every month for months to come. Volunteers can commit to just once, but most of us wouldn’t want to miss going back for this kind of investment.

A soft-spoken lady turned with our bubbly new friend to head toward home and we couldn’t help but notice her tears. Matt, a pastor in the group called out, “I hope those are happy tears!”

“Oh, yes!” said the outgoing one over her shoulder. “She’s so happy you came!”

So am I, my friend, so am I! - Tim Davis

*name changed for this story

Learn more and sign up to be a part of ForColumbia at: christianfellowship.com/event/forcolumbia-community-outreach/ ...

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