On Sunday, September 28th, over 1,000 volunteers from 14 Lincoln churches came together as one body to serve our community. There were 118 different service projects, ranging from constructing wheelchair ramps on local homes to visiting nursing home residents. We have already heard so many great stories about how God blessed this event, and we want to give you a forum to share those stories. So, please click on the tab below and share your story with us! Note: In order to protect privacy concerns, your post must first be cleared by a site administrator. It may take up to 24 hours before it is posted.
If you would like to read any of the stories or post a story of your own, please click on the ‘comments’ tab just below this post.
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While setting and waiting for more supplies to be delivered to a job sight, I witnessed an event that defines what Together for Lincoln is all about.
A teenager was doing the same thing I was, waiting on more supplies before he could continue his work. But instead of just standing around (or sitting around as was my case), he was looking around. Directly across the street, an older couple was working on a deck on the front of their house. They were working alone. Two of them, while across the street, there were maybe 20 people working on this house. This teen did what I should have done. He walked across the street.
He talked to the man and lady. I was too far away to hear what he was saying. But, the man shook his head yes, and the lady took him around to the side of their house. Next, I saw the teen carrying long boards from the side of the house to the front, where the deck was being built. Two men from the TFL house saw this and went across the street and helped carry the boards to the front. They then returned to the TFL house because the supplies had arrived. But the teen stayed. He then dug up four bushes that were to be transplanted to the front of the new deck. By this time, his mother had arrived with supper. He ate while he worked, wanting to get done as much as he could, because by now, it was almost 5:00. His little brothers jumped out of the car and began to help dig the holes for the bushes. By this time, I had joined them. I struck up a conservation with the lady. She told me that she and her husband had both had open heart surgery, so they had to be careful and take things slow. I asked her if she were aware of what was happening all around Lincoln today, and then described Together for Lincoln. She liked what she heard, and said things like “that’s what the churches need to be doing.” I invited her to the worship service that night. I asked her if they would like more help with the deck in the coming days. Her husband, listening in on the whole conservation, said he didn’t need anymore help, he liked doing it. The look on the wife’s face, told me she didn’t agree. When I asked her about it, she thought they should accept the help that was offered. (I decided not to continue that conservation!)
The wife then pointed out her neighbor’s house. She said an older lady lives there. It was apparent that her gutters needed cleaned out (there were trees growing in them). The wife said she and her husband couldn’t clean them because they couldn’t climb that high. I told her we would get the job done in the next few weeks.
So just like that, TFL lives beyond September 28th. My family will be cleaning out those gutters.
All because Tanner Smith walked across the street.
Submitted by Koni Lovett
Comment by togetherforlincoln — September 29, 2008 @ 10:29 pm
Dear Hilary,
I didn’t get your last name yesterday so I’m taking this means of reaching you.
I just wanted to thank you again for your help yesterday in my window washing project. I appreciated it so much and it’s so nice to be able to see out again!
Together for Lincoln was such a unifying effort in bringing the churches together and last night’s worship service was just great. I hope you were there.
Again, I thank you and may God bless you.
Elizabeth Brackney
Comment by togetherforlincoln — October 1, 2008 @ 12:36 am
I just wanted to say thanks for all the work that went in to together for Lincoln! This surely was one of the best experiences I have had – just seeing the community come together for Christ was a huge blessing. I hope we can do this more often!
-Briana Johnson, Lincoln Christian College
Comment by togetherforlincoln — October 1, 2008 @ 12:43 am
I was so happy to see my brother, a man who until fairly recently didn’t even go to church, using his handy-man skills as a project leader. He told me on the phone today that he will do it again in a heartbeat when the opportunity presents itself.
Comment by J.ROB — October 1, 2008 @ 3:20 am
So … let’s keep it going. We don’t have to try to match Sunday every day, maybe a couple times a year; but why not keep doing smaller gatherings. Maybe 1 or 2 projects a month. There are a lot of needs, and “Together” we can help. I hope we can be more united as the “C”hurch.
Comment by Ken L — October 2, 2008 @ 2:20 am
It really sounds like Ken L should be the kind of person who heads up a Together for Lincoln Ministry between the churches. While I know it isn’t my calling, I surely hope it’s somebody’s and that maybe they’ll realize that.
Comment by David Mosley — October 3, 2008 @ 12:41 am
Comments from our Parish
Four of us from Trinity were involved with the making of 800 sandwiches in less than an hour. It was an assembly line production with each person responsible for one of the actions (open the bun, place meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. and wrap). While I should have been thinking lofty thoughts about the blessings of our project, all I could think of is the old “I Love Lucy” episode with Lucy and Ethel on a candy factory line. Thank heavens the mistakes were to a minimum.
The Trinity church family proved that we not only care about each other, but we care about our community also.
So, thank you, for allowing me to be the coordinator of this project. The feeling of satisfaction for being involved is something I’ll always treasure.
Jackie West
Thank you all for your contributions which made this project such a huge success. I really enjoyed getting to be a part of Together for Lincoln. Thank you for letting me be a part of Team Trinity. This was truly unity in Christ. I hope it was not a one shot deal but also know that what happen today and in all your preparation that we really are on the right path. This is what we can do with Gods Help.
Caroline Edwards
The service at LCC was just wonderful. The enthusiasm, energy, music, kids, etc. So great to see so many in the community working for the same goal!
Sue Jones
“The Kid and the Geezer” – Kelly (Knecht) was our youngest & I the oldest Episcopalians on the job – AND the ones with the least paint on our bodies.
Bill Gossett
It was like a swarm of worker bees – and where they cleaned streets and sidewalks it looks like Lincoln had its face washed!
Jody Graue
Comment by Jim Cravens (Priest at Trinity) — October 3, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I was one of 10 folks who scraped and painted a garage for a woman who was trying to sell her home. She was moved to tears as we finished up our project. It is very gratifying to love our neighbors as ourselves as we are commanded to do and to work side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s keep the momentum going! While a one day blitz was great (as was the LCC service!)we can each do for others in our own little way.
Comment by Kim Wyneken — October 4, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
WORKING WITH TFL WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. I WASN’T QUITE SURE WHAT I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO TO CONTRIUTE AS THE GROUP I WAS IN WAS ALL GUYS. ME BEING THE ONLY GIRL. I LOOKED AROUND AT WHAT I COULD DO AND FOUND JUST HANDING THE GUYS THE TOOLS THEY NEEDED AND GETTING COLD DRINKS FOR THEM WAS A GREAT HELP BUT THE MOST AMAZING THING WAS THAT GOD OPENED A DOOR TO ALLOW ME TO MINISTER TO THE LOVELY LADY THAT WE WERE WORKING FOR. THE MOST AMAZING THING WAS THAT GOD TOOK MY HUSBAND AND I RIGHT BACK TO THE SAME PAST WE USED TO LIVE. THE MOST EXCITING THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME WAS WHEN THE LADY ASKED ME IF IT WAS WORTH IT AND DID I HAVE ANY REGRETS? (MEANING WAS THE LIFE I HAD LEFT BEHIND TO BECOME WHAT GOD WANTED ME TO BE AND WHERE HE WANTED ME TO BE) THE ANSWERE TO BOTH QUESTION’S ARE I THANK GOD FOR THE CHANGE AND NO I HAVE NEVER AND NEVER WILL REGRET IT. SO MY MISSION THAT DAY WAS TO MINISTER AND JUST LISTEN AND TO BE A WITNESS TO THIS LADY AS THE GUYS WORKED. EVERYONE HAD A PURPOSE FOR BEING WHERE THEY WERE. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT GOD WILL DO NEXT YEAR AND THE SERVICE WENT BEYOND ANYTHING I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED TO SEE THE SO MANY PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND WORSHIP FROM THE HEART. MAY GOD BLESS EVERY LIFE THAT WAS TOUCHED THAT DAY THE WORKERS AND THE RECEIVERS. GOD BLESS
Comment by M Robinson — December 1, 2008 @ 9:30 pm