Senior finds fulfillment in helping others

Usually during spring break, you can find me at Peoples Church involved in a week-long community outreach event called Breakaway. Breakaway gives students the opportunity to serve the people of Fresno, participate in impactful worship and hear powerful messages.

But God had other plans for 2020.

I was pretty bummed when I discovered that COVID-19 would prevent me from participating in my last Breakaway. I would not get the same opportunity to serve in my community that I annually do.

However, just because Breakaway is cancelled doesn’t mean the Church has stopped serving, and you don’t have to either. In fact, the community needs us now more than ever.

I decided to get in on the action. My father and I drove out to Hanh Phan Tilley Elementary School in Northwest Fresno to assist Peoples Church in their food distribution. We prepared hundreds of meals, each filled with a protein, citrus and other nutritious options.

At 5 p.m., cars lined up to receive their free meal. Each family was extremely grateful and it made me realize the importance of what we were doing. I could see their burdens being lifted as they accepted help from those who worked to care for them.

Site supervisor and Peoples Church Associate Children’s Pastor Tim Moore believes that the body of Christ has a unique opportunity to influence their community by serving.

“We’re called to preach the gospel, Jesus gave us the Great Commission: to go and make disciples,” Moore said. “Because [people] are hurting, we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus extended. If you look back through Jesus’ ministry, so much of it was seeing a need, helping that need, and then through that, was able to develop relationship and see the fullness of God. Our faith family at Peoples Church has definitely seen the need in our community and has stepped up to help meet that need in a major way!”

In the following tweet, Peoples Church shares volunteers preparing for food distribution in Northwest Fresno.

Volunteers busy prepping for tonight’s food distribution in Northwest Fresno. If you would like to volunteer or to contribute financially to this and many other amazing programs please go to https://t.co/nclKsjeS4S to see how you can help. pic.twitter.com/53Bd43CHaK

— Peoples Church (@pcfresno) March 20, 2020

As we continue our daily routines, or try to come up with new ones, it’s easy to get trapped inside our own bubbles, only thinking for ourselves. We can easily become selfish and forget to consider others outside our neighborhoods.

Serving the people in our community helps bring us back to reality which is why I cherished Breakaway so much. The reality is that all people are broken and are searching for hope. As Christians, we get to offer them hope by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

I am very inspired by Paul’s words in Romans 12:9-13 which says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Although things seem dark, and there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, there is hope. Go out into your community and think of safe ways to help people who need it.

If you are at-risk, or do not want to leave your home, there is another, just as effective, option. Prayer. If you cannot lend your time being physically present, I challenge you to lend your time through prayer.

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Logan Lewis can be contacted via Instagram, Twitter, and email.