I can see it now. Walkers being parked like cars. Coats being checked. Smiles a mile wide. Grandmothers and grandfathers piling out of cars and buses. Pouring, er, shuffling into our church escorted by the arms of their sons and daughters with their sons and daughters toddling in their wake.The idea is once a month during winter beginning in December to treat the community and especially the ambulatory residents and family members of the two nursing homes we serve and sing in each Sabbath to be our guests once a month instead of the other way around. The response has been very encouraging! One nursing home director committed 16 guests and their families to all 4 planned events so far.
In addition to very special musics and children’s songs from our daycare and church school kids [giving us the perfect chance to mingle with their parents many of whom don't go to church], we’re going to include well known hymns and congregational singing and a variety of Christmas carols to lift their spirits and remind everyone that “God loves them like crazy!”Which is what I believe God meant when he inspired the prophet Isaiah to write in Isaiah 46:4 [NLT] says, “I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” Refreshments will be served and the afternoon will conclude at 4:00 pm.
3 comments:
Innovative way to use the Evanglism bus to bring in ambulatory patients from nursing homes. They (I counted at least 12 or so) enjoyed the Chritmas music service, food and fellowship--and were grateful for the invitation. Moved by the service, one guest from the community offered to fix the church's rain gutters on Monday, even if it meant taking the bus and bringing his own tools to fix the gutters for us at no charge. Great outreach!
Still moved by the hospitality he experienced at HeartSong Community Sing, one resident from the nursing home returned to the church on Monday morning (Christmas Eve day) with his tools, fixed the church's rain gutters in the cold, and wished the church a "Thank you and Merry Christmas!" WTG Toledo First.
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