A Sunday Service Out In Our Communities!
Our church family enjoyed a Sunday Service that made up of our congregation heading out into various communities and serving along side each other at six separate locations. We started together at church for a quick message and worship and approximately 100 of us gathered up into various teams and headed out to love on and pray for communities that are experiencing seasons of homelessness, illness, families living in unstable environments, and refugee children acclimating to a new culture and environment.
Serving Teams
- Blessing Bags – This team made a difference in the lives of individuals experiencing a season of homelessness, by helping them feel seen and valued through the distribution of 200 Hygiene Bags.
- Urban Ministries Team – This team spent the morning at the New Day Urban Ministry Facility sorting clothes, yard work, and assembling food and hygiene bags.
- Prayers For Our City Team – This team headed out into the community to specifically pray at four locations in San Diego, covering those in prayer experiencing a season of homelessness, children living in unstable circumstances, and those who struggle with illness they didn’t see coming.
- Scripps Ranch Community Service Team – This team disassembled and washed, and reassembled 50 flags for the Scripps Ranch Community Center.
- Seeds of Hope Team – This team hosted a picnic for refuge children, with games, lunch and lots of laughter and connect time.
- CSC Prayer Team – Our prayer team stayed at church and prayed over all of our teams and their service activities, along with praying for our church body.
Highlights From The Day
We received feedback from all the teams as they ended their All Hands Sunday Serving Day. Enjoy the feedback!
Blessing Bags Team – Our Blessing Bag team was terrific. We reached our goal and passed out two hundred bags in downtown San Diego. Our favorite part was having the chance to serve with members of our church family. This team, led by Ava Cummins, was great; everyone was open, warm, and excited. Ava was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, everything from our donations to the time spent helping with assembly and the willingness to serve and be with those who are hurting. The team thanks the Lord for the chance to serve, learn, and grow through this project.
Urban Ministry Team – Our New Day Urban Ministry team’s favorite part of the day was properly storing the food and assembling it into grocery bags so it could be handed out to clients the very next day! Team lead Lori Hughes observed that the team worked so efficiently and joyfully together, with half of the team stating they would like to volunteer at New Day in the future!
Prayers for Our City Team – Our traveling team! The first stop was Mount Soledad. Sunday was hot, and the team sat below the cross and prayed individually. As our team lead, Caroline Grondin, looked out across the city, she felt compelled to pray for those who could not find shelter from the scorching heat.
The next stop for our City Prayer team was Kearny Mesa Apartments, as a shelter for the unhoused. The team was approached by security when they got there, inquiring why they were there. They explained they were there to pray for the residents and were invited to go beyond the security gate. Within minutes, they were met by a resident, Michael. Michael shared that he should not be alive due to the many sicknesses and life experiences he had faced. Our team prayed together with Michael, hugged, and then left. Caroline plans to visit Michael and has already been in touch with the facility. This experience was the highlight of the day, as it was clear the Holy Spirit was present!
The third stop was visiting the Polinsky’s Children’s Center, where the team prayed in the parking lot. The security guard on duty welcomed us. The team lifted prayers for the many displaced children in the facility.
The team’s final stop was Kaiser Permanente. Here, they prayed for those who had departed and for the new lives entering the world. The day concluded with a shared meal, reinforcing the team’s unity and camaraderie.
Scripps Ranch Community Service Team – This team, led by Don Hughes, pivoted from working on beach volleyball courts to dismantling, washing, and reassembling 50 US flags for their Scripps Ranch Community. The team of 18, including 3-grade schoolers, was excited three days later to see the US flags doing their job on 9/11 on Pomerado Road!
Seeds of Hope Team – Despite the heat, this incredible volunteer team had an absolute blast spending the day with the Seeds of Hope kids! They started the event at Colina Park in City Heights with fun-filled potato sack relay races, where kids of all ages (even a few adults) eagerly joined. Team lead, Lesley Hyatt, shared that one of the special moments was making and exchanging bracelets with our Seeds of Hope friends, a gesture to remind us to keep praying for them throughout the week. The volunteers truly went above and beyond, stepping up despite the heat and forming meaningful connections with the kids. The team’s favorite part of the day was definitely the water games! The joy and laughter shared during these games were a testament to our fun. Everyone was excited to cool off, and the belly laughs and bright smiles were absolutely contagious. They wrapped up the afternoon by sharing a meal together, which was the perfect way to end such a fulfilling day.
It’s amazing how a simple day in the park, filled with intentional conversations and activities, can be life-giving. The kids were so grateful for the fellowship and sense of community; the volunteers felt just as enriched by the experience. We’re excited to continue partnering with Seeds of Hope in the months ahead!
CSC Prayer Team – Our mighty prayer warriors! Helene Matthews, our team lead, shared that we had a fantastic group that stayed behind and prayed for the other teams. We discussed a handout Mary Handfelt provided about things to say in prayer when you don’t know what to say. Then, we applied this process to a specific prayer and finished up with each person sharing an individual prayer for each of the teams working on All Hands Sunday. It turned out to be a great session, and we each left empowered to pray more often!
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