On the first and third Saturdays of each month, PC3 teams prepare and serve a hot lunch meal to our neighbors in need. Through this ministry, many people have received encouragement and have witnessed the love of Christ. Areas of service in this mission include shopping for food/supplies, meal preparation, transportation, serving, visiting with guests, and clean-up. For more information or to join in this work, email missions. Below, one volunteer shares his experience with this ministry.
My motivation for first getting involved with Saturday Meals came from my desire to give back to this community and its people. God gives me free, unconditional love, and this is just one small way I can spread His love to others.
What I have discovered over time is that God is blessing me and using me in ways I never imagined. In serving the homeless and hungry in downtown Wilmington, God is teaching me a new level of contentment in life. This by no means is a way of suggesting, “Wow; these folks have nothing, and I’ve got it really good.” In truth, it’s just the opposite.
One of the worst things we can do as humans is compare. When we compare, we set up scales that judge our lives against others: looks, income, possessions, talents, etc. When God created us, He had long planned our purpose in His glory, not according to our own. No one human soul is worse or better than the next, we are ALL unique and serve a purpose in His plan. We will surely arrive at different circumstances in our worldly lives, some good and some not so great, but God values each and every soul He has created with a very special purpose.
As Christians, we understand the importance of fellowship and community. When you work with a dedicated group of people, you establish relationships. The relationships that are developed through this program, just as any other, start and live in fullness to help each other in supporting and improving the lives of ALL people in Wilmington. It is a blessing to see the smile on a person you are serving, not necessarily because we come with a hot meal, but simply because we love each other, and are happy to be able to spend more time together.
This program, to me, is not about providing a meal to the less fortunate. That’s what is “seen,” but in truth we are serving God’s people, regardless of color, creed, beliefs or social status. And in this fellowship, the blessings we receive in return are mutual, not based on a meal, but in sharing the truths of our lives and giving all Glory correctly to God.
My hope is that the transformation of God’s love in peoples’ hearts, just as has been done in mine, will branch outside of Wilmington and go out into the world. God is doing just that in me, as I am headed to Kenya in December!
The world has amazing potential when we remember that each, every and any person we encounter, at any moment of any day, just in fact could be Jesus.
—Submitted by Todd Devine
I have been blessed with an amazing small group of women who have hearts to serve the community. We were discussing how we could serve together as a small group, when one of the ladies talked about helping feed the homeless. That Saturday we were able to serve the hungry in downtown Wilmington. We also signed up to prepare the meal for a feeding in a couple of weeks. We divided up the food duties and then met on Friday night at one of the ladies’ houses, where we cooked and prepared the food. We all had so much fun preparing, laughing, joking and making a mess while cooking! Everyone left that night with three trays of spaghetti to bake for Saturday morning.
As we prayed about our feeding that week, we saw God come through, as He always does. We had 17 trays of spaghetti, plus salad and rolls, and then people were donating cookies, brownies and bagged lunches to go. There was SO much food that people were able to eat seconds and thirds, and even walk away with a bagged lunch. The leftover trays were donated to a hospice center and recovery house. It was one of the best experiences to be able to do this as a small group. God showed us that He is always faithful and the bond that has been formed amongst our group from serving is truly a blessing.
—Submitted by Christina Koch
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Serving the homeless… Sounds like a good idea, something Jesus would do, which is what we are called to do, isn’t it? If you’re like me, you have the desire to serve but are unsure of yourself and your gifts, and it feels downright uncomfortable to put yourself out there like that!
I decided to take that scary step, at first, just serving and standing by to learn the ropes one Saturday. After serving, our small group decided that it was time we step out of the boat and get engaged by taking on the responsibility of cooking for over 100 people! They were in need of people to help, and we had no reason not to. Never before had I been part of such an undertaking and, quite frankly, it was a little overwhelming
Things you do for the glory of God have a way of working out, whether you feel overwhelmed or not. The girls in my small group stepped up to the plate and volunteered to get the ingredients needed. We spread the responsibility evenly so no one person had more than they could handle. It was great to get together on a night other than our weekly meeting night and prepare the meal. 12 hands are better than two, and we were able to get 17 trays of a spaghetti casserole prepared on Friday evening. Each one of us took three trays home to heat up on Sat morning.
What a blessing it was to serve beside people who have a heart for God and who long to be part of His story. From this experience, my confidence in service has grown. I’ve since volunteered to serve again and have found that God will help you grow as long as you take that first step in faith.
If you’ve thought about serving the homeless of Port City, I encourage you to take that step and bear witness to how faithful our God is!
—Submitted by Bonnie Bowman
Looking through the glass of the van, there the kids were. All the months of waiting had finally arrived. They were all in small groups, singing and dancing. And all I could think of was how great it was going to be to get to know them and see how God would work on this mission. I was unsure of how to act at first— whether or not to just go ahead and give them a hug or shake their hands. But as soon as I stepped out of the van with the other people on our team, the nerves, the fears and all the worries that I was carrying with me just fell to the side. Hugs were exchanged, and smiles were widened. It was absolutely wonderful.
One of the things I remember most was, during one of the first days, everybody was scattered everywhere. Each team member had at least one of the kids by their side to love on and talk to. I was walking around, and I happened to notice one of the children lying in the grass trying to read the Bible, so I went over there and spoke with her—or tried to. Once I found out she couldn’t understand me very well, I made an effort to hug on her and just let her know somebody loved her. From that day forward, she was by my side most of the time: trying to teach me Swahili, dancing with me, worshipping by my side. It wasn’t just me loving on her; it was her loving me as well. And I thought about how much of God’s love is constantly revealed through these kids. They barely know who you are, yet they surrender to the love that you give them, and they don’t think twice about it.
Each new day in Kenya was filled with happiness. The kids are just such a joy to be around. They have this “no-care attitude,” and there is such a comfort level there that can’t be found anywhere else. You really feel like you’re at home.
The first two days were all about getting to know each other. We had church, worshipped, played games and just hung out. We went out to a wide-open grassy area both of those days. All that surrounded us were fields of green and brown with beautiful, lush hills in the distance lining up against the horizon. I thought to myself at that moment, “God, you are just so wonderful.” Those were two emotional days, and they were only the beginning! I grew very close to a few of the kids.
Over the next five days, we had Bible studies. Each day was a different topic from a story in the Bible. We studied Noah the first day, and what happened the next day was just so amazing. The weather was fairly normal to begin with, but toward the end of the day, a hard rain shower came down, and so we all crowded in an open-room building at the Center and improvised. The heavy rain and the thunder were so loud that we could barely hear anything. After about 30 minutes to an hour of a steady downpour, the rain began to subside and finally came to a complete end. We all walked outside. Lo and behold not one but TWO rainbows were displayed in the sky. God was reminding us of His promise.
We were fortunate to get an extra day with all the kids. The last Saturday we spent in Kenya was spent in Nairobi. On that day, we went to a serpentarium and then to an animal orphanage at Nairobi National Park. The kids were so excited to be there. This was quite an experience for them, and it was such a blessing to be able to share that with kids who are so grateful for everything they have and who never take anything for granted.
The hardest thing to do was to leave them. Going to Nakuru, Kenya, was an experience I certainly will never forget. I have never felt more happy and so close to God than when I was there. It was as if His never-ending, never-ceasing and never-faltering love were continuously shown throughout the mission, and I don’t go a day without thinking of how absolutely wonderful those kids are.
—Submitted by: Erica Denton
