Popcorn Outreach

By Steve Cordle
As a pastor I spend a fair amount of time seeking to inspire our leaders and groups. But they also inspire me! Today I thought I’d pass along an  email from one of our group leaders. It describes how she mobilized her group to set up a stand at her town’s community July 4th celebration in order to extend the love of Jesus through a simpe gift of popcorn… and prayer. Maybe it will spur you on as it did me.

Dear Steve,
Yesterday, my group served free popcorn and a prayer at Carnegie Park’s 4th of July celebration (on the 3rd)  It was an amazing day.  Some people were totally baffled by our question-‘May we pray for you?’  Most took a moment to think about it and said yes.  We prayed for people who had family members with cancer, a baby who had a deformed trachea, aching backs, knees, someone who was kicked out of her house, women from a church whose church was quarreling and just general prayers of blessing.  As it got busier, we gave a simple-God be with you.  For about an hour and a half, we couldn’t keep up with the demand-there was a long line of people waiting for their popcorn.  God gave me a silly story (it was aimed at the children)  to tell as we waited for it to pop.  I compared God to the popcorn in the kettle.  We couldn’t see it-as we can’t see God-but as we seek after Him, His love overflows.  Then the popcorn starts popping like crazy out of the kettle and we would yell-God is good-look at his blessings overflowing!
About a half dozen people had serious inquiries about a church.  Ed made a flyer to attach to the popcorn bags-it had our service places, times, phone # and website.  I spoke with one woman at length about our groups.”Cool, isn’t it? Who knows how many lives were not only touched, but maybe changed. Even more, the lives of those group members will not be the same as they got out of the livingroom and into the commmunity.

May the Lord keep us all poppin’!

Steve

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