by Mark Bergin

Biblical compassion is hard work. It takes perseverance, patience, and more creativity than most of us have. So when we started calling our Shoreline community groups to fold acts of mercy and justice into their regular rhythms, I had low early expectations. I told our leaders to start small, to seek out existing organizations for easy ideas, and to pick the low-hanging fruit first.

They didn’t listen (praise God).

Case in point #1: Mark Ossinger’s Richmond Beach group adopted a Shoreline rehab center with 140 beds and committed to supplying every last present the facility needs for its massive Christmas giving program. What’s more, they endured two rounds of tuberculosis inoculations, took the initial steps to establish an in-house Bible study, and invited several other community groups to join them. So much for start small!

Case in point #2: Tyler Fiveash’s Lynnwood group posted the following ad on craigslist:

How Can We Help?

A group of us from the Lynnwood community are looking for a way to give back and better the community we live in. We are looking for people who are in need of our time and efforts. Single moms, elderly and youth are our priority and we would welcome your response detailing your need. Please understand that we will not be able to fill every request and we reserve the right to select who we can serve based upon the need, our abilities, and time. We are not in a position to offer financial support or rescue, but we would love to help where we can.

An unemployed single mom with three kids responded with needs for house and yard maintenance. So this past Saturday, the men of the Fiveash group knocked out those needs while the gals spent the morning visiting and sharing Jesus with the woman. She now intends to come visit their group. So much for relying on existing organizations!

Case in point #3: David Flynn’s Everett group connected with Volunteers of America to adopt a struggling family for Christmas. They agreed to provide presents and a meal, but one family just wasn’t enough. So the Flynn group has added 4 or 5 elderly couples to its meal-sharing docket, and two group members have volunteered time over their Christmas break to serve as delivery agents for VOA. So much for low-hanging fruit!

It all adds up to one giant pot of Jesus-blessed group soup served hot to our North End region. I’ll add a second helping of stories in the coming days. For now, this charge: Join us. And please believe me that you can start small – if you want.