Serve United
Year End Edition
It was a Merry Christmas . . . Thanks to You!
What a complex and challenging year 2016 has been. And yet, as the old Christmas song declares, "The weary world rejoices" at the hope the presence of Jesus has on the broken places we call home. The light of Christ has shone at Christmastime and all year round by people like you who chose to love and serve and care for others this year. Whether is was painting a house, donating shoes to school children or Christmas gifts to foster families, welcoming a refugee family, providing warmth for homeless in our city or by teaching a child to read, each gift of service was a point of light that points to the Light of Jesus.
Thank you for your service this year. Thank you for the lives you've changed. May 2017 be another year of transformation in our lives and in the lives of our neighbors, communities cities and world.
Serve United Activation Night - January 26
One of the ways Serve United is activating united service opportunities in the new year is through consistent rhythms of meeting together to share stories, encouragement and resources. We do this through quarterly Serve United Activation Nights. These nights are open to church and non profit leaders and will be a time of sharing what God is doing through church-school partnerships and through the 8 cause areas of Marriage, Family, Employment, Education, Wellness, Housing, Sexual Integrity and Neighbors. Our next Activation Night is January, 26th from 6:30-8:30pm at Impact Community Church. I hope you will be able to join us in the new year for a time of encouragement, collaboration and action!!
For more information and to RSVP, click HERE!
MLK Celebration, March for the Dream and Diversity Expo
Stories of Service: The Church At Elk Grove's Share a Sole Event
If you're a parent, you know that growing and active kids always need shoes. The Church at Elk Grove is answering this ongoing need with their annual Share-A-Sole event. This event began 12 years ago when Sun Grove Church began serving students in need by donating and fitting shoes. After consistently serving kids for 10 years, Sun Grove launched a new campaign called "Share-a-Sole: New Shoes for Students in Need" and expanded their reach to include more kids and more church and business partners. Just two years later, 15 churches worked together to collect 3,000 shoe donations and went to 21 Elk Grove Unified School District schools to fit the shoes for the kids. Not only did this act of love put a smile across thousands of kids faces as they received a brand new pair of shoes, but it also assisted in helping new churches get connected to local schools in their community. It is exciting to see this event grow exponentially and increase possibilities for further church school partnerships.
Thank you to every individual who has given and served to make Share-a-Sole 2016 such a success and for blessing so many students and their families!