Lafayette Ave. Presbyterian Church

You would be amazed what kind of difference we can make with four hours of time. Four hours serving alongside our neighbors will go MILES to show that we care about them.

Here are some reasons to get outside this Saturday:

• Four hours on “their turf” is worth a week inside our building, in terms of connecting to our community.
• Leaving your house on a Saturday, supporting someone else’s program shows way more love than inviting a person to one of our programs.
• The best conversations with new friends happen “side by side” rather than “face to face.”  You can get to know a person for the first time better if you share a common task.
• A shared task (like cleaning up) gives us a chance to connect across differences. Many members of the community will be surprised if some of our more “mature” members show up, but they will love it! They will be TOTALLY shocked if somebody from the suburbs chooses to demonstrate love for a neighborhood in this way.
• When somebody asks you why you volunteered, you can say something like, “My faith tells me that I exist to serve my neighbors, ” or “Loving the neighborhood is a priority for my church,” and see what kind of conversation follows! (This is especially effective if we demonstrate our commitment by bringing a crowd)

So if this is such a good thing, why is your pastor going to miss it? One reason, mostly. I love my wife, and this is our anniversary weekend. So we are going to spend some good quality time away together. Being a good pastor is important to me, and being involved in the neighborhood is, too, but I can’t do either without being a good husband.

So show up, even if I don’t! Wear an LAPC t-shirt or bring a broom, if you can.