Grand Oak Christmas
Every year in student ministry, the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade boys Small Groups have a Christmas party. This year, we teamed up and spent that time serving and sharing a meal at Grand Oak Mission. Director David Jackson opened up the facility for some festive discipleship by showing us how this ministry serves Springfield and allowing us to have hands-on experience in serving others.
Jeremy Goddard, one of the Small Group leaders, said, "Having our students out at Grand Oak Mission was a great experience for them. Our students many times are blind to all of the blessings that they have because they are not exposed to the needs that others have that are unfulfilled. Having the opportunity to help the workers of Grand Oak getting ready to serve the less privileged members of our community opened their eyes to how blessed they are and how they can use their talents and blessings to be a blessing to others."
Another small group leader, Jeremy Krall, said, "It was so encouraging for me to see our Small Group guys working hard together, helping to organize Grand Oak Mission’s warehouse. It was amazing to hear how much Grand Oak gives out to help their community! I think I speak for the entire group when I say we are looking forward to serving there again soon!"
Damion Ellison also added, "Our boys got to work in the food area. They were responsible for taking various food items and bagging them up. The bags were donated to different families at the mission the next day. The boys seemed amused searching for items they needed for each bag. They made it into a competition amongst themselves on who could be the first one to finish a bag. Christmas reminds us of the season of giving, but my prayer for the boys is to remember that the season of servanthood should run throughout the year."
Grand Oak’s mission is: Churches together, Loving Jesus, Helping neighbors. This ministry allowed our Small Groups to love like Christ.
In Matthew 27, Jesus says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."