PIN Ministry Update

“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” -Isaiah 58: 10

Ross and I would like to thank all of you for the countless donations of hats, gloves, scarves, socks, toys and toiletries that you gave to PIN ministry this Christmas. We would also like to take this time to thank any lama, sheep, alpaca, badger, or any other anonymous animal donors who so selflessly gave of their luscious fur, coats, pelts, and what have you. There was plenty of hard work and selflessness that went on behind the scenes to make this project a success - and a success it was – we made over 200 festively decorated gift bags for men, women, and children.

In the Bible we are continually reminded about the poor and afflicted and how we are to treat them – in over 300 verses actually! But why? What is it about being a Christian that leads us to serve those who have less than we do, to care for the homeless and dejected? Why does the Bible beckon us to look beyond ourselves to the needs of others? Dallas, the creator and director of PIN ministry, reminded me of the reason in one of his most recent sermons to the homeless community…

On the Sunday when we went to drop off Galilee’s donation - the 200 gift bags, each lovingly tied with a green bow and cheerful red tissue paper - Dallas spoke about why he invites outside churches like Galilee to come and do volunteer work at PIN. He said, “It’s not because we need them. I don’t need these churches to come and help – we have tons of volunteer already!”


I began to wonder what the world I was doing there. Why did I just spend so much time trying to work on these darn gifts? Why did I have poor Middle School boys make Christmas cards with markers and construction paper mostly against their will (while making faces that looked pretty similar to the kid on the right)? Why did we ask our parishioners to come every month and sacrifice three and a half hours of their Sunday evening if they don’t even need us??!! I was definitely a little offended.

And then he said it…
“I ask these churches to come and volunteer so that they can experience Christ and the joy of serving as Jesus served us! I ask them to come so that they may actually be encouraged by you (meaning the homeless men and women present) by how you love each other despite your extreme poverty. So that they will see, that though you have nothing and they have everything, the Spirit of Jesus is alive within you – and you have joy!!!!”


Of course Galilee was there to serve the homeless, but what Dallas was trying to say was that when we went to PIN, Jesus was doing something within us! By giving of ourselves we could experience the privilege of commonality with Christ. This is why Jesus calls us to serve and love the poor all throughout the Bible! This is how He loves us, as the ultimate servant. So, let us continue to experience the joy of knowing our maker more intimately - through service.