We are a pastors whose church sat on the edge of town. Life and ministry had a way of being so hectic that days or weeks could go by that saw us only ever engage the people of our community on our own terms: at the grocery store, getting dinner, stopping to fill up with gas.
Over time we came to realize that while we were fulfilling our calling to minister to our congregation, we rarely did anything to help meet the needs of our community.
In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells a story of a shepherd who is willing to leave all of his sheep to pursue a single one that has wandered off. He leaves 99 sheep behind to seek the one. Ministry had us tending so much to the 99, that we hardly ever pursued anything else. Because that action was contrary to scripture – we had to make a change.
For us, that began and continues with small acts of kindness. We drop by the laundromat and give quarters, detergent or dryer sheets to those we meet. We purchase small gift cards to provide a little bit of gas, lunch or some groceries to people in our community. When the opportunity arises to meet larger needs, we strive to meet those as well. And we almost always offer to pray for people – an intentional commitment for 7 days anytime someone gives us something to pray for.
Between us, we call this effort “90Nine”. For over a year it has been the effort of 2 people to better impact the people they encounter in daily life. We hope it becomes an avenue to encourage other Christians to do the same. We hope that those we encounter are encouraged by these simple interactions. And we hope that everyone who becomes aware of this effort is reminded that we serve a great God who is even present in the simple day to day events of our lives.
90nine.org 