CrossWay provided food and hands on service to the Shalom Center for three weeks while the cook was recovering from a broken arm. Over 60 people from CrossWay volunteered either to go to the Shalom Center to cook a meal or deliver a portion of the meal. This does not include countless others who served by offering childcare and delivery of the food. As a result, we were able to feed, on average, 100 people per night for two and a half weeks.Thank You CrossWay
The Shalom Center sends it’s heartfelt thanksgiving to the people of CrossWay. It was a joy to point them to the Lord our God and His sovereign provision for their needs. The Leadership
Team also sends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who organized, prepared, and served at the Shalom Center. We thank God for all of you and for your Christ-like and sacrificial love.Lessons Learned
Our participation at the Shalom Center over these three weeks taught us several lessons; let me mention five.
- It was a visible demonstration of God’s sovereign control over all things. God had orchestrated that CrossWay would participate in a service week in the middle of February. As a result, Danielle Morrow called the Shalom Center to see how they could serve. Of course, that same week the cook at the Shalom Center broke her arm. All of this was under God’s sovereign control.
- It was a tangible expression of the generosity of the people of CrossWay. Danielle Morrow and Cathy Beach organized the preparation of the food for several weeks. It was amazing to see the people of Crossway respond so joyfully and sacrificially to meet this need. It was evident that God had already been at work burdening His people to reach into Kenosha with the mercy, love, and compassion of Jesus.
- It allowed people who were serving together to build new relationships. Common objectives tend to bind people together. God was at work building relationships as people were preparing and serving a meal they would not be eating. These relationships will continue long after their service at the Shalom Center ended.
- It provided a front row view of the brokenness and poverty in Kenosha. Several people commented how going to the Shalom Center opened their eyes to the poor. There was a particular woman and her children who delivered a side dish to the Shalom Center who spent the entire car ride home in silence because they could not believe the poverty which they had witnessed.
- It gave us first hand experience of the mission, organization and people of the Shalom Center. This deeper understanding of the Shalom Center strengthens our relationship with this particular organization and with the people on the East side of Kenosha. This, of course, will help us as we venture new ministries of mercy and compassion in the city of Kenosha.
