The November 2025 Website Update
The November 2025 Website Update will expand on a quote from my friend Derek from Chapter 4 of my new book: Bringing Heaven to Earth & The Intermediate Heaven on page 66.
Derek is answering a question that I had asked in my interview of him when he answered seven questions about Heaven. This question was from N. T. Wright from his book Surprised by Hope: “How will we humans contribute to that renewal of creation and to the fresh projects that the creator God will launch in his new world?”
At the end of Derek’s response to that question he says this: “It is a real failing of the church that we gather, we preach, we teach, we pray, but we don’t do. We are not out doing things in the community as a church, and if some of that is done, we usually don’t explain our intentions.” This website update will expand on Derek’s answer.
To be fair there are churches that do a lot during the Christmas season, which is commendable. But that lasts for about one month. What about doing something commendable for the other eleven months?
Our more recent church we attended in Texas, Restoration Church in Southlake TX, took on a ministry of helping Foster families and families that Adopted children. They had training and other activities in support of fostering and adoption throughout the year.
Another opportunity for actively doing good works is available in Bible Study groups, or Community groups or Life groups. For example, in Texas for several years we led a Bible Study group under Gateway Church Southlake. As a Bible Study group, we decided we wanted to periodically do service projects. We found two service projects to do with our group. We found a ministry that gathered clothes that could be given to Foster-families that often needed the clothes at odd times of the day or night. Our group would all gather on a Saturday morning at the ministry location and unpack donated clothes and sort the clothes and put them on hangers in the proper place for Foster-families to be able to find what they needed. We usually did that for 4 hours + on a Saturday morning. Second, we discovered a Gateway group that every Saturday took food to distribute to Homeless people near the Ft Worth Mission. Our Bible Study group joined them with food to distribute, on several Saturdays.
This type of group ‘doing’ is such a blessing both to those in need and to the group itself. Our Bible Study group became closer to each other doing service projects together.
What are some ways that church groups can help out in the community outside of the Christmas season?
· Organize food-coops including having food drives to collect food for poor families.
· Partner with shelters to provide hot meals.
· Provide resources like job training or healthcare access.
· Host clothing drives.
· Organize family-friendly fairs of various kinds.
· Organize programs or volunteer opportunities for seniors.
These are just a few ways that a church can be a ‘doing’ church during the eleven months outside the Christmas season.
I do want to commend a local church in Portland OR called Crossroads church for having a year-round ministry called Crossroads Food Bank which started in 1989 and is open on Thursdays and Saturdays to provide food to serve about 400 families per week. When open they have banners up to remind the community of what they are doing. This is, in my opinion, an excellent ministry that gives year-round help to those in need in the surrounding community. I think my friend Derek would approve.
Another way that a church can help the community using the church is through organized prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool that Christians have been using for 2000 years, and it works. I suggest that organizing a church group to pray for a community and specific needs in that community will get results. Then once a church has an organized prayer group operating it can invite other churches to also develop their own organized community support prayer group. What could be more powerful than multiple churches taking part each with organized prayer group all praying for their mutual community.
Please respond to this update with other ways your church has found to be a ‘doing’ church year-round. I will include your examples of a ‘doing’ church in December’s Website update.