Prelude
As a Chaplain, I love to provide spiritual care to those within my workplace and
community. Recently, my church participated in a back-to-school drive to provide over 100 kids
with school supplies to ensure they had everything they needed to succeed in k-12 school. We
also helped an additional 50 students a few weeks prior for those entering college. Having the
ability to provide for those in need warms my heart every time. At times, I believe it is easier for
those to accept Christ in their time of need. Christ has a way of showing up when you feel that
you are at your breaking point and there is no way out of the symbolic chaos. While passing out
school supplies, I met a single mother with three children, all needing school supplies.
Unfortunately, she was an unbeliever and admitted that she did not believe in Christ and came by
because she said we were giving away free stuff.
Part ONE
During my conversation with the mother, I inquired about the ages of her kids so that I
can provide her with the appropriate school supplies. After receiving the ages and giving her the
appropriate school supplies, I asked her a question. I asked, “Do you know why you came here
today?” She responded, “Because your church has a school drive, and my kids needed school
supplies.” I smiled at her and said, “Not quite.” I am letting her know that I am here providing
spiritual and physical care to those in the community because Christ would do that. I told her
Christ is the reason I am here.
Part TWO
When I told her that Christ was the reason I was here, she looked at me and smiled. After
smiling for a few seconds, she asked about my name and the church I attend. My answer
impressed her because she had never heard someone speak of Christ regarding serving the
community.
Part THREE
I began to introduce myself and my role in the church formally. After giving her the
school supplies, I began to walk her over to the canopy we had in the center of the parking lot
and gave her a few brochures. Their brochures contain my church’s mission statement, vision
statement, and the different services our church offers. I brought her over to one of the flyers we
have that displayed a scripture about community. The scripture is Hebrews 10:24-25 which
states, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to
meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see
the Day drawing near.” she was highly impressed because she did not realize that she was going
to receive so many blessings in one day.
Part FOUR
After the encounter with the mother, I felt so good. Spreading the Gospel through your
work is one of the best feelings in the world. Telling someone how great our Lord is to us is one
thing, but having the ability to show them how great he is offered a new level of gratitude. Those
who serve let those in need understand that someone cares. Christ does not want anyone to feel
that they are alone.1 Christ provided care to his community even after his ascension, which is
what I plan on doing for my community.
1 Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a Changing Culture (Nashville, TN: Broadman
& Holman, 2003): 98.
