Backpacks of Hope

"You should know, things aren't always as they seem."

I don't really remember my own grandmother ever saying this to me specifically, but I'm sure for many of you that yours told you this often. What is implied by this old cliche is that the assumptions we make about one another, will many times mislead us into drawing poor conclusions about another person.

Williamsville, NY is a profitable suburb of Buffalo, located in the Town of Amherst and including many profitable businesses and organizations. "You should know, however, things aren't always as they seem." It was brought to our attention, that although many of the kids in our local public elementary school have access to many of the advantages living in an affluent school district provide, there is still a growing number of students living in poverty who fall through the cracks every year. In contrast to inner city schools, this group is repeatedly overlooked here because of the assumptions people make about the general student population in the Williamsville School District. This is unacceptable, and we believe the church ought to do something.

Randall Church has organized its regular members and attenders in clusters we call care corridors. These clusters of people are grouped by geography, and our particular care corridor partnered with the elementary school counselor to provide backpacks for many of these marginalized children. It was so exciting to hear from the elementary school counselor that our efforts had made such a difference in what she could do to assist these families. Even though she is not a Christ follower, we had empowered her to be the tangible hands and feet of Jesus to these kids. We had empowered her to deliver backpacks... of hope! Why do we do this? We believe that doing good deeds is the bridge by which the Good News can travel.

What are you doing to provide the love of Jesus in a practical way?

Pastor Milo
@milowilson.