2011 KY Mission Trip

Although the summer’s not quite over, we’re getting pretty excited about our Fall mission trip to Leslie County, KY!

Every fall break, we head to Kentucky to work with an organization called Big Creek Missions. Ask anyone who’s gone before, and they’ll tell you, “This trip is great!”. Plus, with activities like kids clubs, food distribution, and construction, there is plenty of variety for everyone in the family to join in and serve!

The dates for the trip are October 19-23 (fall break, so you don’t have to worry about missing any school) and the cost is $200 per person (which includes travel, food, housing, & ministry supplies). The deposit of $100 isn’t due until September 9th, so feel free to email jason@rollinghillscommunity.org with questions or interests.

Posted in Kentucky, Local Missions, MissionsTags: Appalachia, Big Creek Missions, Community, Kentucky, Service | by jennasanders No Comments

It’s about that time again! On Tuesday June 26th, we’re going to serve and fellowship with The Bridge Ministries. This is a ministry that meets the needs of hundreds of homeless in the community of Nashville and an opportunity that you don’t want to miss.

All you have to do is meet at the Jefferson St. Bridge in Nashville at 5:30pm on the 26th. We’ll help with things like serving  food and distributing necessities, but most of all, we’ll get to make friends with a marginalized people in our community.

Jesus talks to his followers about him being hungry, thirsty, sick, and in prison and the way that they help him and meet his needs. When they are surprised over his statement, knowing that they haven’t done these things, he reminds them “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”. We are called to love our neighbors and by doing so to love Jesus, so let’s do it together at The Bridge.

For more information or to R.S.V.P. email missions intern Jenna at jennasanders@rollinghillscommunity.org by June 25.

Posted in Local Missions, MissionsTags: Bridge Ministry, Serve, Service | by jennasanders No Comments

by Jenna Sanders

Recently I’ve been going through Celebration of Discipline, and this week the chapter on the discipline of service really stepped on my toes and encouraged me all at once. I have a lot of friends who love to serve. Some serve with kind words and letters of affirmation, some sacrifice time to just sit and listen, some spend their weekend cutting grass or babysitting, and some invest the little money they have in organizations that meet “the least of these” right where they are.

I’m sure you know lots of people who will serve too, but as I was reading this particular chapter I wondered, “How many of us are willing to be a servant?”

Foster writes, “Self-righteous service comes through human effort. It expends immense amounts of energy calculating and scheming how to render the service. Sociological charts and surveys are devised so we can ‘help these people.’ True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside. We serve out of whispered promptings, divine urgings. Energy is expended but it is not the frantic energy of the flesh.”

He continues to later say, “Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims. It can serve only when there is a “feeling” to serve (“moved by the Spirit” as we say). Ill health or inadequate sleep controls the desire to serve. True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need. [...] Self-righteous service is temporary. It functions only while the specific acts of service are being performed. Having served, it can rest easy. True service is a life-style. It acts from ingrained patterns of living. It springs spontaneously to meet human need.”

What I think we so often forget is that we are called to be servants, to be slaves. To die to ourselves and daily esteem those around us as higher and more important than we are. And when we do that, when we seek Christ first and love our neighbors fully, we become servants.

It shouldn’t be about serving, about working to check something off a list so we feel holier. Instead it should be about seeking, being fully present and meeting needs around us so faithfully that we hardly realize when we do it.

Saturday Serve shouldn’t be a day where we have to schedule a time to serve. It should be a day where we schedule time to serve together. Because, as followers of Christ our schedule should always be one dedicated to service.

Posted in Missions, Saturday ServeTags: Community, Saturday Serve, Service | by Jason Hale No Comments

We are very excited about this upcoming Saturday and opportunities for you to serve. If you have not registered, no worries, there are still many spots for you to be involved. Here is what you need to do:

1. If you want to serve in Franklin, show up at the Warehouse at 9:00 a.m. At that point, we will place you on a team and you will be on your site around 10:00 a.m. Your options include community parties, manual labor, care packages for community workers & nursing homes. It is important that you wear CLOSE-TOED SHOES. For all of the sites, we will break for lunch and give you a chance to grab some food and then head back. Many of the sites are very kid-friendly.

2. If you want to serve in Nashville, show up at Second Harvest Food Bank at 9:00 a.m. Second Harvest is located at:

331 Great Circle Road, Nashville, TN. 37288

This is a change of location due to the women’s half marathon downtown and the anticipated heavy traffic.

The choices to serve in Nashville include Second Harvest, Nashville Rescue Mission and community parties. Lunch will work the same way in Nashville.

It is important for all sites to come wearing CLOSE-TOED SHOES.

If you have any questions, contact jason@rollinghillscommunity.org

Posted in Missions, Saturday Serve, UncategorizedTags: Community, Service | by Jason Hale No Comments

This Saturday, September 24^th is a great opportunity for you to get out into the community to serve. We have over 10 different ministry sites and mission opportunities set-up throughout the city. This is a great opportunity to come together as a family, small group bible study or just a group of friends to go out and make a difference in Franklin & Nashville.

If you click on the following link you can register you and your family to serve or you can just show up on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.  Pre-registering can be very helpful for those bringing children as we will notify you where you will be serving in advance and what to prepare for.

Saturday Serve Registration, Sept. 24 2011

Some of our sites for that day include: Nashville Rescue Mission, Cherokee Place Community Block Party, Graceworks Ministries, Making care packages for community workers, Second Harvest Food Bank, outreach teams, nursing homes and manual labor/construction teams.

We will have separate kick-off celebrations both at the Warehouse in Franklin and in Downtown Nashville at the LifeWay visitors parking lot located on 10^th Avenue in downtown Nashville for those serving in Davidson County.

There is something for everyone that day! Spread the word as we can use as many people possible to go out and serve.

Kick-off celebrations begin at 9:00 a.m. for both locations and all groups can plan on serving from around 10:00-2:00 (depending on the individual sites).

Questions or for more info contact: Jason Hale

jason@rollinghillscommunity.org

Posted in Missions, Saturday Serve, UncategorizedTags: Community, Service | by Jason Hale 1 Comment

When I think about my childhood, one of the first things I remember is neighborhood hide-n-seek. The second thing is serving with my mom. A game is reasonable; children love games, of course I remember something I did every night of the summer for years. Serving is different though. I honestly remember times when I thought it was terrible. It smelled funny, it was hot, the old people asked me too many questions, but even still, it’s one of my most prominent memories.

Why is that? I think it is because it’s what I was created for. Maybe as a child I never made that connection or understood the need I had to serve others, but it was there. I love the part in Matthew chapter 25* where Jesus is telling the disciples this story about all the times they fed Him, and clothed Him, and encouraged Him while He was experiencing trials, and the righteous get confused because they don’t remember serving Him in any of those ways. Then He tells them (as if it’s something so obvious), ‘don’t you know by serving even the least of society, you have served me?!’.

Our motivation should be obvious. As believers in, and followers of Christ, we serve because we know whom we are serving; it’s our personal need that I think we often misunderstand. When I’m not doing anything for anyone else—not encouraging in words, not loving in deeds, not reaching out in truth—I feel incomplete. Part of me feels like there’s something more, and there is. There always is.

Serving, for me, has made all the difference in my walk as a believer because it not only gives me ways to practically put into action the things that I have learned and am learning through the Word and spiritual leaders, but it also gives me a chance to experience and see the Lord in ways I think I would otherwise miss. Serving has shown me tangibly what God’s love looks like; it has shown me the transformative powers that caring about what others (sometimes strangers, even) care about has; it has allowed me to see the beauty of a God who dwells in community.

I serve because we are called, as James says, to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22-25), but I love serving because through it, I see the Lord with more clarity.

Fortunately for me (and all of you too!) there’s a great opportunity coming up at RHCC to serve in numerous capacities. On September 24th we’re having a church-wide Saturday Serve event, and since there are several different sites and several kid-friendly options, there’s no reason that we can’t all get out there and be a part of God’s working in our community!

* 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me.’

Written by Jenna Sanders, Missions Intern

Posted in Missions, Saturday ServeTags: Community, Service | by Matt Robertson No Comments