By Aubrey Larsen, Director of Discipleship and Outreach, Praise Covenant Church
This past Fall we did a book study on the book, The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. We chose this book because during this time of COVID we recognized that many people were looking for authentic connection and community. God has been teaching me in this season that the church is not a building, it is us as the body of Christ and our ministry is our daily lives.
Through this study, we looked at Mark 12:28-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
We learned what it looks like to love our literal neighbors, the people that are live around us. For some, this was the first time they reached out to their neighbors and learned their names, for others it was a way to develop a friendship with their neighbors.
One woman has lived in her home for over 10 years and didn’t really know her neighbors. During the month of November, she sent around Jerome the Gnome to every house in the neighborhood and had the neighbors write what they were thankful for. This created a huge sense of community as each of the neighbors were able to read what their neighborhood was grateful for. It spread gratitude as well as created a sense of community and belonging.
This study was a reminder that evangelism starts in our homes and in our neighborhoods. God can use everyday lives for His glory. Your life is a ministry and you have impact in living your everyday life.
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