On November 16th, a group from Bethel Lutheran headed over to the Phillips Neighborhood to serve a meal, have a cross-cultural experience and hear about what God is doing in the neighborhood.
We were hosted by Chris Zemple a DCO Intern and Kurtis Smith who serves as the Director of Community Outreach at Trinity First. We were excited to hear about the coming Franklin Community Development Center which seeks to transform lives through a holistic approach to community development.
Every Saturday there is a group that serves a community meal outside of Trinity First on the corner. We served the community chili dogs with the chili being supplied by ladies from Bethel. It was a big hit! Hundreds of hungry people came through the line and were fed.
The group also headed over to the Village Market where many Somalian people shop, eat and pray. It was an opportunity for us to experience another culture and learn from them. We visited the bookstore and checked out books on Islamic life and beliefs. We sampled sambusas and Somalian tea at the cafe. We looked through the stores selling fabric, clothes, rugs and everything else you could want. It was a very interesting place!
One of the youth, Dominika Walsh, posted her thoughts on Facebook: “Helping others made me feel great. Doing this Urban Plunge really opened my eyes. We all take for granted a lot of things, what we don’t realize is that a lot of people don’t have anything, but they’re still content. This experience definitely made me think about how blessed I am.”
These Urban Plunge experiences always challenge us to live as disciples where God has placed us. We pray that God will open our eyes to the opportunities right around us to love others in His name!