Love your neighbor Sundays.
(most) Fourth Sundays.
We believe the call to love our neighbor extends far beyond simply telling people about God’s love, but showing God’s love in real and tangible ways — with no strings attached.
That’s why once a month (usually on fourth Sundays), we intentionally carve out space as a community to serve and bless our neighbors and to work together for the common good.
Additionally, Love Your Neighbor Sunday is an opportunity to expand our understanding of what it means to care for the poor, oppressed and marginalized by bringing attention to different issues happening around us and by highlighting the work and stories of community leaders and organizations who are on the ground loving and serving our neighbors on a regular and ongoing basis.
Our hope is that as we practice loving our neighbor together in community once a month, we would be empowered and inspired to live a holistic lifestyle of love for neighbor, every single day of the week.
Sunday, May 26th
AANHPI HERITAGE MONTH EDITION
In honor of Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month — a time to reflect upon and celebrate the remarkable role of the AANHPI community in our nation’s history — we will be hosting a special community gathering that will invite us to engage with one another in a way that loves, affirms and celebrates our AANHPI siblings and their cultural and ethnic heritage. Additionally, this will be a space for those of us who do identify as AANHPI to practice loving ourselves in the context of our faith community as we lean into exploring our own cultural heritage and identities.
We invite you to join us from 10am - Noon on Sunday, May 26th (location TBD) for an AANHPI themed community potluck brunch and cultural show & tell!
Here’s how you can participate.
FOOD — Bring a dish to share that reflects your culture. For those that do not identify as AANHPI, you can bring your favorite Asian dish, or you are welcome to bring a dish that reflect your own cultural identity.
SHOW & TELL — For folks that identify as AANHPI (kids can participate as well), we invite you to bring an object that that symbolizes your culture, family or heritage in some significant way. This could be anything from old family photos, traditional clothing, songs from your native tongue, art pieces, poetry, or even family artifacts or ancestral heirlooms. Come prepared to talk about that object, why it is significant to you, and how it has shaped and informed how you see or view yourself.
ATTEND & LISTEN. For those who do not identify as AANHPI, this is a wonderful time for you to come and listen, learn and hear stories from your AANHPI siblings and to validate their lived experiences.
What does it look like to love our neighbors?
While there are endless possibilities for what loving neighbor can look like, the following four categories might be helpful to consider as you discern how God might be inviting you to engage. We’ve also curated a list of community partner orgs here that you can connect with for a variety of volunteer opportunities.
Relationships.
Who outside of your immediate circle can you intentionally build genuine relationship with and invest in?
Hospitality.
How can you create a safe and inclusive space where someone who feels alone can belong and feel valued and loved?
Service.
How can you give of your time, energy and resources to bring help, relief and aid to someone that is hurting or in need?
Advocacy.
How can you use your voice, privilege, and influence to address broken systems and structures that are oppressive?
Community partner conversations.
If we’re truly going to be for the common good, the scriptures challenge us to pay special attention to caring especially for those who have been ignored, forgotten and deemed the least and the last in our societies (Matthew 25:31-46, James 1:27).
Check out some of the amazing conversations we’ve had with community leaders and organizations that are doing great work in service to some of the most vulnerable in our communities.