At this year’s HOPE worldwide Global Summit, Ralph Boyd, Executive Vice President of Community Relations and Chairman and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation gave a sobering assessment of the needs within our communities when he stated, “The element of our changing world that is so jarring, especially for Americans, is that suddenly abundant need is very visible to us. It is all around us. It has become concrete and for many it’s no longer about someone else in a faraway place…It’s not about a someplace that is not visible to all Americans like Appalachia or East St. Louis, Illinois or South Central Los Angeles. It’s about us. Right here, right now in our own communities and increasingly in our own neighborhoods. In other words, it has become no longer a ‘them thing’ it is now an ‘us too thing.’” 
There are more opportunities than ever before to serve our neighbors. Disciples across our nation are expressing a desire to effectively reach out to those hurting in their own backyards. God’s timing is amazing and perfect. Simultaneously, a bold change is happening throughout America, with a rekindled focus on unity. Putting the independent spirit of service aside, we are witnessing Baby Boomers, Generations X and Y and the spirited Millennial Generation from all walks of life banding together to bring about radical changes in delivering help and hope.
This week we received the following note from Evan Brown, of the Kansas City Church of Christ and the recently formed the Kansas City HOPE worldwide Chapter:
“As a heartland group we have loved going to Juarez, Mexico for the last five years to build houses. This year due to the violence we decided to stay at home and sponsor a project here. We loved our time in Mexico but pouring our time, sweat and tears into our own city has been nothing short of miraculous.
Our program is called M.P.A.C.T, My Purpose: Advancing Christ Today. It involves two major efforts here in Kansas City - a day camp and rehabbing a home. Our volunteers range in age from middle school to adults and the campers are from 7-15 years old.
This week we watched as volunteers bonded with the campers they mentor. In just two days have seen the children’s hearts soften and attitudes change. It is an incredible feeling to serve the children of our own community. We are inspired to have the opportunity to do something about the many needs right here at home!
God is working in great ways to give us energy, after an eight hour day with the kids we head out to work on the home we are rehabbing for a couple of hours before heading back to the community center. Though we are tired, it is a great feeling to be completely poured out for God. Please keep praying for the children's hearts to be softened and the community to be impacted!
I received this note from a camper. The cool part is no one asked him to write this letter. He had asked us if we could have camp more often. We told him we would try. A couple minutes later he returned with this letter to give to a city official to ask for us to have more camps!”
To whom it may concern,
I would like MPACT to be open on the weekends because it was a very great learning environment and I would like for it to be open on weekends because the kids here are having fun and I am too. I learned that when you have a goal you stick to it and don't ever give upon it. I learned to stay away from people that will get you in trouble or even jail. So, please keep this open on the weekends and school days too. The people here that are helping us find our way in life are very nice and smart they like to do a lot of fun activities and they are very fun.
Sincerely,
Steven G., age 14
In Luke 10 Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate how we must not only love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind but we must also love our neighbor as ourselves. The time has come for us, like the Kansas City volunteers, to show those within our own communities a new way of love, a culture where lending a hand and reaching out with love and compassion is a way of life.
Meet the needs in your community.
Go to www.hopeww.org/uschapters to find out how
Visit us at www.HOPEww.org to learn more about all of HOPE worldwide's programs and see how you can be a part of global change to bring hope to some of the world's most needy.
To read more articles from HOPE worldwide on Disciples Today:
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Backpacks for Afghanistan |
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SHCH Receives US Support Click here |
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Join us on the 2009 Compassion Tour Click here |