Last weekend I met with the three other men on my team, Ed, Larry and Bob. We are part of a ministry, organized through the Orchard Church in Arlington Heights, IL. We are part of a larger group of guys known at the church and by our assigned care-receivers as Men in Action (MIA). We operate in small teams of 3 or 4 and our purpose is to help with chores, small maintenance projects, repairs, yard work. The care receivers are women who are either single mothers or widows. Normally our service days are scheduled for the second Saturday of each month. Last weekend was an exception and my team returned to Donnas' home, again on the following Saturday in order to get the last of the fallen leaves out of her yard and out to the curbside for the final pickup by the village.
The day was warmer than expected in mid-November, and with Thanksgiving only days away, this day somehow felt different than most service days. Of course, Donna is always very thankful for our help, but I felt a little more thankful for the sunshine today and the privilege of living in the tidy northwest Chicago suburban community, serving this woman with this loyal band of dedicated brothers. Men in Action is more than just a service-oriented ministry, it is also intended to be as much relationship-centered as it is task-oriented. At the same time we also purpose to demonstrate the love of God in action and to make our walk with Christ more present in the community.
It was very cool to watch, as we raked, blew and bagged leaves, many of the nearby neighbors were doing the same. We exchanged some friendly banter with the lady across the street. Ed walked across to help her as she muttered something about her slow-moving son, who was supposed to be out there helping. We also had some friendly exchange with the next door neighbor, Bob. Bob is an elderly man who has loaned us some assistance in the past in the way of an extension ladder and some essential tools for other unforeseen circumstances we've encountered. There is another man down the block who walks past with his dog during times we have been at work. He always stops to chat while also offering any tools or assistance we might need.
After we complete our work projects and prepare to pack up our trunks, we gather in a circle, join hands and pray together with Donna. Since we were out in the front lawn, we invited the next door neighbor, Bob, to join us. He was more than willing to be included in our circle. Just as we finished and our circle broke, a woman came by and smiled and exchanged some pleasantries with neighbor, Bob, and shared that she had her comfy shoes on today as she was just preparing to feed some 650 people at a nearby hall. I told the bubbly lady that she had just missed our little prayer circle and that had she been only moments earlier she could have joined us too.
As we all parted for our respective destinations and pre-holiday business, I thought how nice to witness these moments of small-town fellowship unfurl so naturally. It was like Elk Grove Village, at least on this Saturday morning, looked something more like a scene from the idyllic town of Mayberry. For me, it was a little slice of Heaven on earth.
