By Marsha Petty

It’s amazing that God can use US to make Jesus visible to the poor and oppressed! But that’s exactly what he’s doing!

God has been so generous in his gift to us of his Son and then his Spirit. What a thrill for us to be like God and give to others in need.

It can be overwhelming to consider the great needs in this world, both close to home and far away. Can we really make a difference in issues of poverty and injustice? Yes, we can! The Diaconal Outreach Team has researched and evaluated many opportunities where we, as a church, can make a big difference. The seven ministries we are presently supporting with our annual Resurrection Offering are all bringing hope and healing to real flesh and blood people, with the gospel of grace! It is very exciting! Our contacts with these ministries bring us wonderful stories of real physical change as they also communicate the spiritual hope of the gospel.

The extent of our aid is broad: from helping immigrants from all over the world in NE Philly to providing meals, housing, job training and Christian discipleship to homeless men in the city; from providing scholarships that make an excellent education possible for hundreds of low-income kids in the city that also includes life-changing gospel nurture, to providing pediatric wheelchairs to kids in Peru; from providing medical attention to slum kids in Kenya to supporting the rescue of hundreds of enslaved people around the world. We are making Jesus visible in very tangible ways!

Serving on this team has been very exciting! It is a privilege to hear their amazing stories, and to begin to understand how God actually CAN use us to make a big difference. If you have any questions or input, or would like to get involved in some way, see Anthony! He’s working on some new ideas for this outreach ministry and would love to hear from others with a heart for becoming like God in his compassion.

And don’t forget to give generously to the Resurrection Offering on March 29 – it will make a difference!