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Faith in Action is a Widespread and Long-Term Effort

"We're a downtown church, but almost none of our people live downtown." See how this church put its faith in to action...

“We’re a downtown church,” explained Doug Widger, Director of Student and Serve Now Ministries for St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Worth, Texas. “But almost none of our people live downtown; in fact, they’re spread out in 66 different zip codes. We already minister in several ways downtown, but this time we wanted our people to minister where they live. We also wanted Faith in Action to be a catalyst for a lifestyle change towards ministry – not just a one-time, check-the-box-we-did-it program.”

In order to help facilitate this lifestyle change in its members, St. Paul first changed the way they did small groups last fall. The groups were re-organized by neighborhoods, “so that people living close to each other would get to know each other, find projects and serve together,” Pastor Widger explained. “We wanted them to take their service right into their neighborhoods.”

Some 350 eager workers showed up to work one weekend. Projects included working in two Habitat for Humanity homes, where teams built walls, installed roofing and more. The project teams remained committed to finishing the work no matter how long it took; the project was fully completed two months later.

Working through senior citizen centers, St. Paul’s quickly compiled a list of more than 30 seniors who needed help with minor home repairs or yard work. “We just couldn’t meet all their needs, but we did complete work on 12 homes that weekend,” Pastor Widger remembers. Crews replaced rotting fences, trimmed trees, painted interiors and exteriors and performed minor carpentry jobs, mostly for elderly ladies who simply couldn’t afford to have the work done.

Meanwhile, another team took on a local mobile home park as an ongoing project. They provided breakfast for residents and spent focused time getting to know them. The team continues to visit once a month, building relationships for Christ.

Another crew worked at a group home for kids in transition (such as in-between foster homes). They gave caregivers the day off and cooked a meal, cleaned the facility and played with kids. “They brought fresh life to the kids and the facilities,” Pastor Widger remembers. “They’ve gone back twice to help cook and decorate for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

One group conducted a quasi-scavenger hunt, going door-to-door and soliciting baby items no longer needed, such as high chairs, playpens and clothes. All were donated to the local crisis pregnancy center. Still another team, after distributing flyers the week before, went door-to-door collecting items for Hurricane Ike victims. Team members then drove the donations down to the Houston distribution center the following week.

“Afterward at our celebration service, we asked all the kids who participated to talk about what they did,” Pastor Widger explained. “We did this on purpose; people love to hear how the kids processed the day, and they especially love to see the kids serving needy people. The kids’ excitement was absolutely contagious.”

Commenting on the weekend, he said, “It was amazing to see this body come to life. It unleashed a huge sense of energy. For example, one family found a shut-in that lived right in their neighborhood whom they’d never met. Now they check in with her weekly, rake her leaves, take her cookies and put up her Christmas tree.”

St. Paul’s staff continues to collect stories about ongoing Faith in Action ministry in their congregation. “For us, Faith in Action wasn’t just a one-time event—it’s still happening. We want to tell stories on an ongoing basis; it helps keep daily ministry in front of our people and reinforces a lifestyle ministry mindset,” he explained. “We’ll tell these stories from the pulpit, send them out in emails and put the video clips online.”