Unity fuels movements.

If you would have told me a year ago that today I would be working for the church I love and serving the community I live in...I would have only partly believed you. Not to say that I saw this career move coming in any shape or form because I absolutely did not. But, I know Rockford First's heartbeat is and always has been for people. It has now become my job to research, evaluate, and create solutions for the hurting and impoverished in this community. So, did I see it coming...absolutely not..but, can I see it any other way now..not a chance.

The Care Strategy is a People Focused, Faith-Centered, Community Engagement Plan that promotes virtue over values. It just launched at Rockford First about two weeks ago. The core of this movement comes out of a Christ-centered love for the community. The call is for the faith-community to unify, put aside any predisposed beliefs about the marginalized community and go into the areas hardest hit by poverty. The purpose is not only to go, but to act in compassion and love while we give out of our abundance. We want to give from whatever resources we have, whether it be time, talent, money or social capital. We have a passion to reach the lost and firmly believe that people often have a hard time asking for spiritual needs when there is a great, practical need going unmet. We feel the call to meet this part of our community at that exact crossroad. In essence, we would like to meet their physical needs in order to build a bridge to their spiritual needs. But, I feel like I've said all of this before. I really just wanted to give those of you who don't quite know about the mission of Care Strategy the chance to hear what I just said so you will understand why the next part is so monumental in our journey.

The job has just begun and we are already seeing momentum build. This past weekend was the first big volunteerism project we, as a Care Strategy team, got to be involved in. We had the opportunity to organize a group of volunteers to participate in a playground build, sponsored by Kaboom/Blue Cross and Blue Shield, for a local elementary school, Barbour Language Academy. CLOSE TO 100 VOLUNTEERS from the Care Strategy went to Barbour on Saturday, August, 28, and spent the majority of the day building an awesome playground for the students there. Not only was it rewarding to work alongside these amazing volunteers, but it was also encouraging to see what can be accomplished when a large group of people come together for one purpose. Unity truly is the fuel of great movements. I believe that principle rings true not only for the playground build but for the Care Strategy in general. When the faith community begins to see the need and act accordingly, and they are here in Rockford, we are going to see more and more change, not only in the community of Rockford, but also in the community of God. Thanks for being a part of this journey, thanks for the prayers, and thanks for reading this blog. My hope is it encourages movement in the body.

P.S. The photo does not depict only "Care Strategy" volunteers. This picture shows the entire body of volunteers from our community...how cool is that?!