Cow-clad runners labored up hills, scooted around turns, and steadily made it closer to 13.1 miles. They passed by in a stream of sweat as members of my closest community handed out cups of water on Saturday at the Chick-fil-A Connect Half Marathon (CFAhalf).

I was driving around in a pickup truck. // My community was running back and forth from tables to runners, with arms outstretched and water cups teetering on their fingertips.

I was making sure runners got from the start line to the finish line without getting hit or lost. // My community was giving their time freely to runners and to support a local organization.

I was there to fulfill a commitment. // My community was there to serve.

Serving isn’t complicated. It’s as simple as handing out cups of water or driving around in a pickup truck.

Saturday was a team effort with a deeper heartbeat. In the rush of planning and executing the event, I’m reminded of why the CFAhalf originally came to be:

The CFAhalf was birthed to “create an intersection in Athens between local churches and the community. To see celebration happen. To see someone discovering a new side of themselves. To see people brought together” (Connect Ministries website).

Sometimes, we get so caught up and engrained in our own organizations, we miss opportunities to work together.

I want to publicly thank those friends who I’ve noticed continuously show up for others:

Deb Trimpe (and Alps Road community!). Mark and Rhonda Palmer. Rob Ray. Anna Johns. Jared and Ashley Rae. Kimberly and Ellis Bradford. Virginia and Jon Brooks (and family). Dwight and Penny Medders. Tommy and Cathy Depriest. Laura Patton. Mark and Brenda Gunter. Michelle Peteet. Jason Cheek. Jared Dickinson. Alvaro Villaveces. Blake Duncan.

They are focused on others; focused less on self.

They inspire me by how they serve.

They inspire me by their posture in saying: “yes, you can have my time.”

Life is about giving our time away and our resources away. In abundance, we are called to generosity. In scarcity, we are called to bold faith.

In seeing my friends passing out water, I’m renewed in my desire to come alongside men and women who have hearts for people. There are so many niches in our culture – organizations who help the abused, the addicted, the disgraced, the forgotten, the outcast, the crippled – and I want to be behind all of them.

I want to pour myself out for those who have their hands dirty with messes. I don’t want to sit back and watch my life dwindle away in the “comfortable,” but to wake up early in the morning, get to a water station, arrange thousands of cups on a table, and yell at the top of my lungs in encouragement for those giving life their all.

We can unite in the arena. We can all be for each other in our struggles and our passions.

Thank you to ALL who showed up on Saturday to pass out water.

If you are ever looking for a way to be more like Jesus, this Sunday is a good opportunity to work in the dirt and eat dinner with Acceptance Recovery Center. Check out opportunities to stay in the loop.

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BLOG POST (ABOVE) IN RESPONSE TO OPPORTUNITY (BELOW):

Cheering on runners and connecting with our community (Chick-fil-A Connect Half Marathon)

Date/Time: Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1 (no joke)

Location: All over Athens – see “how” below

Why: We have a unique opportunity to cheer on members of the running community and our friends as they run through the city we invest our lives in! Whether it is smiling at someone picking up their runner packet, handing out a cup of water along the course, or jumping up and down at a mile marker, your presence means a LOT to the runners and to the employees of Connect Ministries.

The word encouragement might not seem significant written on paper, but when it is acted out, being encouraged hits deep in each of our hearts. Who are you going to intentionally encourage today? And on 3/31 – 4/1?

Who: Anyone who professes they are invested in Athens – let’s serve our community together. There are over 200 spots to serve on event day!

How: Signup here to serve and you will receive information directly from Connect Ministries

Connect Ministries serves to connect local churches to their communities. To give the Church an avenue to build relationships and to meet community members outside the walls of Sunday morning. Don’t stay in the box – leap out.

“We are a team of people burdened by the growing disconnect between churches and their communities. Time is showing that less and less people have a connection to a local church – and we think that’s a problem.

Some people are never going to come to our churches. It can be for any number of reasons, but there is one common result: if we only ask people to come to us, we’ll miss out on the chance to meet a large part of our communities. So let’s do something different. 

Let’s create common ground.” – Connect Ministries