Eastiew Community Church
Eastview Community Church

Reaching Out to Our Community

Greg Armstrong - 2007-01-31

Christians are Christ's body, the organism in which He works. Every addition to that body enables Him to do more. If you want to help those outside you must add your own little cell to the body of Christ who alone can help them.

- C.S. Lewis

Since last report, Eastview's Community Outreach has been active both inside and outside the church serving in the vast sea of need. For instance, at 394 Keenleyside, adults from within this fractured and haemorrhaging community gathered for twelve Wednesdays of Alpha fellowship to explore the Christian faith and hope as found only through accepting and following the Good News message of Christ. Over 20 ambassadors of the Good News prepared and plated more than 400 home-cooked meals (see photo at right) and provided safe and creative child-care.

This mission field at Keenleyside has introduced us to many vital opportunities such as working together with Hampstead School. There we were invited to host a hospitality table at a Community Health and Wellness Fair in the school gym, where many of our Eastview congregation provided delicious homemade cookies along with coffee and juice. Parents/guardians had a convenient opportunity to check out the many other tables offering information about programs in the vein of safety, health, and restoring hope in the community.

Our 2006 Hampers of Hope team worked together with the Hampstead Community Liaison, Christmas Cheer Board, and the St. Boniface Nurses Association. Many of you generously prepared and delivered 35 robust Christmas hampers to the most needy families surrounding Keenleyside and Hampstead School.

On Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:30pm at 394 Keenleyside, Unit #22, we have begun presenting the Rick Warren series A Purpose Driven Life. If you would like to be part of this vital mission field yet in its infancy, please contact me.

I had a vision a while ago to offer free guitar lessons to four children in the Keenleyside area. The Eastview Missions Team was supportive of this and now after much prayer and some discussion with the new music teacher at Hampstead, it has been agreed that 4 grade four students will be selected and taught by two willing Eastviewers, Jared Wiebe and Jeff Armstrong. The school has offered a space for these lessons for 45 minutes each week. Also at Hampstead, we are now in the exploring stages of pioneering a nutritional Children's Breakfast Club, uniting other churches in this community in ministry.

Our prison ministry, L5:17 (taken from Luke 5:17), at the Winnipeg Remand Centre meets every other Tuesday and facilitates a Bible Study and Fellowship ministry for men. We are now in the 5th year of this vital ministry. Note: L5:17 is now the longest-running Bible study group at the Remand Centre. Every other Sunday, I am scheduled to prepare and deliver a Sunday message to more than 25 inmates. If you would like to hear more, or be part of this restorative justice ministry, please call me.

I am finding it most evident that vital restorative community outreach ministry is less programmatic and more organic as relationships of trust must be established with the people in the communities we hope to serve. Such meaningful relationships are established by our on-going "presents," resulting in credibility earned.

God has given us the privilege of participating in the lives of others out of the many gifts He has entrusted to our care. We in turn use these gifts as a result of the compassion He places in our hearts. These simple acts of love, delivered together, do make a difference. To God be the glory.