Prayer, Backpacks, and Building God’s Kingdom
Resonate Global Mission initiative Go Local has helped Tillsonburg CRC discern and discover where God is at work in their community.
Many schools provide meals for students during the week, but children need to eat on the weekends, too—and not every family can afford food every day.
Through Resonate Global Mission initiative Go Local, Tillsonburg CRC in Tillsonburg, Ont., stepped in to fill the hunger gap.
Ministering to the Community
“We really wanted to get serious about ministering to our community,” said Emily Schuurman, a member of Tillsonburg CRC. The congregation joined Go Local, a Resonate initiative that helps churches discern how to join God at work in their communities.
“We put together a team of people to pray and follow God’s leading in this area,” said Schuurman, who serves as Tillsonburg CRC’s Go Local team chair.
Through prayer, the Go Local team found an open door in the community. Schuurman’s son, a high school student, was volunteering at the local food bank and Schuurman got to know the coordinator. She learned that the coordinator and food bank workers had a dream of delivering backpacks full of food to schools so students could take them home and have plenty to eat over the weekend—the food bank just didn’t have the manpower.
Tillsonburg CRC, on the other hand, had plenty of volunteers.
It Starts with Prayer
Tillsonburg CRC’s Go Local team and the food bank entered into a partnership to help schools provide food for children and their families over the weekends.
Every Thursday morning, Tillsonburg CRC members fill backpacks with cereal, canned goods, fruits, and treats provided by the food bank. Then, they deliver the backpacks to the schools so teachers and staff can give the backpacks to students who need them.
But it doesn’t stop there. As Tillsonburg CRC members fill each backpack with food, they pray for the child who will receive it.
“We pray that somehow they will be blessed by receiving a backpack,” said Schuurman. “Not just that they will be fed but that they know there are people out there who care about them. We pray that the Lord will do amazing things in leading these children to himself.”
Moving into Relationship with the Community
The process of Go Local has helped Tillsonburg CRC discern and discover where God is at work in their community, said Beth Fellinger, Resonate’s Regional Mission Leader for Eastern Canada.
“The dare to risk and do new things has been delightful to observe,” said Fellinger. “I love the excitement I hear when they share how they have listened and prayed and experimented as they have moved into a new relationship with their community.”
As churches like Tillsonburg CRC join Resonate initiative Go Local, they’re sharing the love of Christ in their communities. Give thanks for Tillsonburg’s CRC’s partnership with the local food bank. Join them in praying that the children who receive backpacks will personally know Christ.
