church of the week
Grace Fellowship: The Church has Left the Building
By Renelle Richardson
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– On Sundays, the sanctuary of Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church in Katy, Tex., is usually packed with more than 2,000 members. But one Sunday, recently, the entire church was empty!
Senior Pastor Jim Leggett said he had an idea: "What would happen if the church left the building? What if the whole church shut down for one Sunday, went into the community, and engaged in ministry to the poor and less fortunate?"
And that’s what they named the project: The Church has Left the Building. Teams of people, young and old, repaired homes, planted gardens, shared the gospel with children, cared for the elderly, and repainted schools.
The school principal, Cazilda Steele appreciated the change. "It looked really worn, very little color," Principal Steele said. "It was kind of dark; and when the hallways are dark, the whole place seemed dark too. Just the brightness in the building sends kind of a calm spirit to the place and everyone wanted to be here!"
Mary Wilkins received a new kitchen!
"They gave me new cabinets and floors and fixed the bathroom," Mary said. "They did a really great job. I appreciate it. Thank God for them!"
They also repaired Lettie Mae West’s kitchen and installed a new hot water heater.
"People ain’t never did nothing like that for us before," Lettie Mae said. "I was really happy because I could go into the bathroom and take a hot bath!"
At the end of the day, volunteers said they were blessed by the opportunity to serve.
"I think it’s exactly what Christ asks us to do," said Dianne Keaton, a member of Grace Fellowship, "to live out what He wants us to: to serve. And once you go beyond yourself, and you realize it’s not about you, you catch a joy that comes only from that."
For their outreach through service ministry, "The Church has Left the Building," in Katy, Texas, The 700 Club salutes Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church - America’s Church of the Week!
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