It can be so easy to read about the Food Pantry or hear an occasional update but forget that this is a ministry to actual people. This story was recently shared by one of our Food Pantry volunteers:

     It was toward the end of the Food Pantry time, and just one table of waiting people was left. An older lady, with torn and worn-out clothes, matted hair and no teeth, was having trouble filling out her form, so I sat down to help her to get through it. She began trying to tell me something and grabbed my arm while repeating the same indiscernible sentence. Since she had no teeth, I couldn’t even tell if she was speaking in English or Spanish.  Perhaps seeing my confusion, she began to use gestures with the words to get her point across. She was pointing up at first and saying “God” and then touched her eye and then her mouth to indicate smiling. As I repeated the words she was trying to say, we got through the sentence, “God is watching us all at the Food Pantry and is smiling down from Heaven at what He sees as we feed the hungry.” Tears filled my eyes as I realized what she was saying, and the lady and I hugged as tears streamed down my face.

     In the midst of all the confusion and busyness of serving over 130 families that day in the Pantry, this poor old lady’s words were a real high point and it seemed that the Lord was confirming his pleasure with this ministry. 

Let me take this opportunity to once again thank you all for your faithful giving. If you would like to give monetarily to support the Food Pantry, you can do so online (click here to access online giving. When you get to screen where you enter an amount, be sure to select “Food Pantry” from the “to” drop-down menu.) You can also leave a check in an offering box (located in the lobby or at the rear of the sanctuary) with “Food Pantry” in the memo line.

If you would like to donate items to the Food Pantry, drop-off baskets are located in the foyer at the front entrance of RBC. Here is a “most wanted” list of items we need for the Food Pantry (click here to download).

If you would like to serve during the Food Pantry (open Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings), please email me. We have an ongoing need particularly for volunteers with Spanish language skills.

Please continue to pray for us as we show the love of Christ through this ministry.

That’s right: I said “Don’t volunteer at Guilford.”

You see, should you volunteer at Guilford, something will happen to you when you meet these kids. No longer will you be able to keep your heart’s door closed to the reality of the poor. Everything that you have carefully compartmentalized into statistics and bar charts and percentages of those-who-qualify-for-free-lunches suddenly become …people. Beautiful, unique, gifted individuals who face challenges that most of us cannot fully grasp – challenges that are out of their control.

I spent the afternoon at Guilford Elementary last Friday. I was the special guest of one of the third grade classes, and now I know what it feels like to be a rock star or Santa Claus. I was treated like royalty, given lots of hugs, and kids fought for the privilege of sitting next to me in the classroom (a first for me!)

The children had written thank-you letters for the things that RBC is doing for them. Many of the kids stood up and read me their letters, and some read to me from their writing journals. I was touched to the point of tears. One boy told me that he has wanted to go to a museum his WHOLE LIFE, and this year he will be able to go on the field trip because of the people from our church who paid for it for him. He also told me now he can think better in school because he’s not thinking about his tummy being hungry. One child said I was “such a nice teacher.” When I asked why he thought I was a teacher, he said it was because teachers are the ones who love you and take care of you, so I must be a teacher since I was getting people to give the children snacks. Kind of makes you think.

Don’t get me wrong, these aren’t perfect little Stepford children with large puppy dog eyes. These are real kids. Charming, silly, serious, thoughtful, impish, studious, sometimes disobedient, always enthusiastic and energetic, children. What overwhelmed me was that all of them were respectful and grateful. Both the haves and the have-nots were appreciative of all that RBC has done for their school. There was no sense of entitlement. Just thankfulness. It was humbling to realize how infrequently I am just thankful for what I have been given.

So there you have it. Don’t volunteer at Guilford, because once you meet the kids, suddenly it becomes about people, not programs. It becomes about justice and mercy and grace and love and sharing it with what Jesus called the “least of these”. So don’t do it, because try as hard as you can, I don’t think you can close your heart door to the “least of these” once the Lord has opened it.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 (Click on the images to the right to read a few of the letters from Guilford students.)

Thanks to the generosity of our people, our church has already been able to make a difference for the students and staff at Guilford Elementary school.

• RBC has been able to provide a water cooler and coffee for the staff, which they greatly appreciate.
• Every student will be able to go on their designated grade level field trip because of the field trip fund that we were able to provide them.
• The clinic has been stocked with new socks and underpants for use when a child is sick or has an unexpected accident.
• Each classroom has been given a mouse-proof box to store snacks for the kids that don’t bring a morning snack from home.  We are providing snacks each month to fill these boxes.
• We have purchased balls for the students to play with during recess, and soprano recorders for the kids to use in music class (which is a requirement in the older grades and many of these students can’t afford).
• We have also been able to supply the school with tissues, disinfectant wipes, Ziploc bags, and other basic school supplies.

There still are lots of ways that you can be involved to help make a difference in the lives of our neighbors at Guilford. 

BOOK DRIVE: For the next several weeks, we will be collecting new and gently used children’s books.  Research shows that children who have books in their homes have significantly higher reading achievement than those who do not have access to books. We would like to provide each child with three books for them to keep.   You can drop off your donation in the designated bins in the lobby. Books will be collected until October 16.

SCARVES FOR KIDS: The principal has asked us to help provide scarves for the students who walk to school.  If you knit or crochet, this is a great way to use your talents to help a child.  Scarves can be any color and should be the appropriate length for a child.  Scarves can be dropped off in the church lobby.

SHOPPING AT GIANT FOOD STORES: If you shop at Giant Foods and are not already supporting your own children’s school(s), you can go online and register your Giant card on behalf of Guilford.  Every time you shop at Giant, Guilford will earn points that will be converted into money that the school can use in any way they choose.  Last year, most of the schools in Loudoun County earned between five and ten thousand dollars through this program.  It doesn’t cost you anything to enroll, and it’s “free money.”  Go to https://www.giantfood.com/our_stores/bonus_bucks/designate_school.htm?execution=e2s1  to register your card.  The Guilford Elementary school ID is 02102.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION: Another great way to help this school financially without it costing you anything is to participate in the Box Tops for Education program that General Mills sponsors.  Just clip the box top symbol off of the products that you are already buying,  bring them to church and put them in the donation box labeled “Box Tops For Education” in the lobby.  Last year, Guilford earned $675 through this program.  We can help them earn significantly more.  You don’t need to register to donate your box tops, but if you enjoy shopping online or would like to get coupons for General Mills products, you can earn additional rewards by registering at www.boxtops4education.com.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: We still need volunteers to provide monthly snacks, be homework helpers, adopt a family, and provide teacher encouragement.  You can sign up online at www.restonbible.org/guilford, and the volunteer coordinator will send you more information.

We have a huge praise for the overwhelming success of our Welcome Back to School Breakfast at Guilford Elementary school.

The teachers were hesitant at first to ask questions about how we could help, but once they started to share the needs of their students it was obvious that they love these kids, and would do just about anything for them. The thing that overwhelmed me is that the school is not asking for big things like better computers that would make their lives easier. The things that I was asked about were small things that would help these children maintain their dignity and be able to learn – things like packages of new underwear for when a child has an accident, or a student who has difficulty reading because he needs glasses that his family can’t afford. Through the generosity of our body here at RBC, we can help with these kinds of things.

It was humbling to hear that this was the first time anyone had brought in breakfast for the staff. Such a simple thing, that meant so much. The teachers were grateful, appreciative and we felt no resistance to our involvement with them. Clearly the Lord has gone before us in this endeavor. A huge thanks to those that donated food, and who came and helped serve.

There are still lots of needs, so if you haven’t already, check out www.restonbible.org/guilford to get involved.

As we continue into 2011, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on some of what we saw God do here at Reston Bible Church in 2010. I do pray this will be an encouragement to you, and while we don’t want to focus too much on numbers, it can be helpful to quantify some of what we have observed in 2010.

Guests:

• From January-July 2010, at the old campus, we received completed Visitor Cards from 145 guests.
• From August- December 2010, as we’ve been in the new facility, we have received completed Visitor Cards from over 300 guests.
• Since August 2010, at least 100 of the guests who have completed Visitor Cards have become regular attendees and  involved in ministry at RBC.
• We have had 50 guests from our new surrounding neighborhood since we moved into this facility in August.
• Since August, we have added 333 regularly-attending adults to our database.

Host Team:

• Since the beginning of 2010, we have 100 new volunteers on the Host Team (almost 200% more volunteers than we had 12 months ago).
• Since August 2010, we have added 2 areas of service under the umbrella of the Host Team – the Parking Team and Coffee Ministry.

Transition:

• Since August, our Welcome Desk Attendants give information to an average of 14 guests each weekend.
• In the old building, our Greeters were greeting and Ushers passing out bulletins to an average of 1650 people each weekend.
• In the new building, our Greeters have been greeting and Ushers passing out bulletins to an average of 2042 people each weekend.
• Our Coffee Attendants serve an average of 27 gallons of coffee each weekend – about 400 cups.
• Our Parking Attendants manage traffic for about 1050 vehicles each weekend – this is just our traffic alone (not including traffic for other businesses off Oakbrook Ct.)!
• During the transition of buildings, we have had volunteers serving more frequently. Some Ushers serve for up to 3-4 months straight to assist with the flow of people.  We have two Parking Attendants who serve almost every week (and in all kinds of weather)!

Ministries:

• Our Children’s Ministry has jumped 31% in attendance since moving into our new facility – from an average of 231 children to 303 children each weekend. Our AWANA ministry has seen significant growth as well.
• Our Junior High Ministry has increased 69% since our move in August – from an average of 49 to 83 students attending each weekend.
• Our Senior High Ministry has increased 26% since the move in August – from an average of 75 to 95 students attending each weekend.
• Ladies Bible Studies have increased about 72% in the past year in attendance.

2010 was a dynamic year, and we are thankful for the blessing of seeing God work in significant ways. It is a joy to be a part of what God is doing here at Reston Bible Church!

I trust that many of you were able to attend a service this past Sunday at the new RBC location. It was a special day and one in which was the fulfillment of many prayers. I praise the Lord for what He has done and look forward to what He will continue to do in and through His RBC body. During the summer, we usually average 1065 adults and 220 children in three services. Our first Sunday at the new location we had 1700 adults and 390 children in two services. To God be the glory!

As many of you noticed, this blessing was accompanied with a few parking challenges. I trust that this Sunday you will notice a vast improvement in parking and traffic flow. I know that each of us would like to assure that all elderly, expectant mothers, families with small children, those with special needs and guests have the opportunity to park in the church parking lot. In addition, we desire the traffic to flow in a safe and timely fashion. Therefore, I want to introduce two new opportunities to serve.

OVERFLOW PARKING MINISTRY

Would you be willing to serve by occasionally parking in the overflow lot (first left off of Oakbrook as you enter from Cascades Parkway)? We have access to 120 parking spaces in this lot and would like able-bodied volunteers to choose to park in the overflow lot to make room in the RBC lot. For now, we would like to utilize all 120 spaces on August 15 and 22, not knowing the exact need. You may drop off passengers in the drop off circle, located in front of the church, prior to entering the overflow lot. Parking attendants and signs will direct you to this lot as you arrive on Sunday. It is a 10-minute leisurely walk from the overflow lot to the church, so plan accordingly.

To volunteer, please register online by clicking here.

PARKING ATTENDANT MINISTRY

We have an immediate need for volunteers to help direct the flow of traffic. We are looking for 50-60 volunteers (men and women), who can commit to serve once every 4 to 6 weeks as a parking attendant. We will have three parking teams serving each week during these times:

TEAM 1: Before first service 8:45-9:20AM
TEAM 2: In between services 10:15- 11:05AM
TEAM 3: After second service 12:15-12:40PM

Training will be provided this Sunday (August 15) at 8AM and 11:10AM in classroom 250A. To volunteer, please click here to register.

God has truly blessed us with these facilities and may we use them to impact lives for His glory. Thank you in advance for serving and impacting a life in this way. Keep keeping on!

~ Tony Pedroni (on behalf of the Elders)