Today's guest blogger, Vicky Copeland, shares how her family has personalized this year's Blessing Baskets. Vicky serves as our Kindergarten Connect group teacher at WonderWorks, and is a vital part of our volunteer team. I asked her to share here experience, after I heard someone telling about how she and her husband were spending their Saturdays, going door-to-door, looking for families we could share a meal with, this Thanksgiving.
Our Pastor cast a Great Commission vision for Thanksgiving and I have been honored to serve on the Blessing Basket Team. His vision was to prepare a basket of food for 400 families in our community. The basket is complete with a 15 lb. turkey, 25 other food items and the Book of John which will be distributed to the families to take home for Thanksgiving Day. This is not a basket filled with the leftovers of our pantry but a meal designed especially for them to enjoy on Thanksgiving. He felt there is sense of pride and dignity that belongs to all of us as we open our homes and share a meal with our loved ones, our children, our parents and other extended family during the holiday. This gift allows families to remain in their home rather than going to a mission or watered gardens for this holiday meal.
It was not only the vision of our Pastor to provide physical food for families but spiritual nutrition as well. The only criteria for receiving a Blessing Basket is to attend our worship service the evening of November 18, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. to hear the gospel presented. The message of John 6:35 is clear and on our hearts as we make all the necessary preparations.
I love our Pastor's heart and his desire to hear from our Lord and to serve Him. I have had the privilege of speaking with families personally and hearing heartfelt prayer requests. My husband and I have been door to door and received many hugs and words of appreciation to pass on to our Calvary family. I may not have been called to serve in Africa or Haiti but I truly feel the call of God on my life and I thank the Pastor for allowing me to be a tool the church and God can use to touch Joplin with the love of Jesus Christ. I can hardly wait to make new friends on Sunday evening and watch the outpouring of love from an incredible body of believers who love the Lord with all of their hearts. Thank you, Calvary and thank you Pastor Brad for this opportunity of service.
In Christ,
Vicky Copeland
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