"Love Thy Neighbor"

Earlier this week, 5-2 Ministry had the privilege of joining with Clipping for a Cause of Lawrenceville, Georgia, for their first annual "Love Thy Neighbor" food drive.  The idea of a Valentine's Day food drive was a fabulous one--what better way could there be to show the clients of our area food pantries and assistance programs that they are loved and cared for?  When we heard what our neighbors over at Clipping for a Cause were up to, we knew that we had to participate!  The results were outstanding and a total of 4,048 items were collected!  5-2 Ministry's contribution to this effort resulted in the collection of 1, 334 items which were donated to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry in Snellville.  For the complete story of this outstanding food drive, along with some amazing pictures of this ministry in action, go here! 

Thank you to everyone who spread the word in their neighborhoods, gave food, collected food, delivered food, counted food, sorted food, and stocked the shelves at the co-op.  You responded to God's call with loving hearts and showed us all what it means to truly "Love Thy Neighbor".  Blessings to you all.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:40

Dazzling!

In a recent Facebook post Darla Dixon, creator of My Snellville Blog, used a phrase which immediately caught my attention.  She wrote of being "dazzled by God", and immediately my mind was racing.  I just love that word..."dazzle".  It brings up images of so many things that I enjoy.  Radiant sunshine is dazzling.  Bright, warm smiles are dazzling.  4th of July fireworks are dazzling.  Amazingly enough, though, I had never really thought of God as dazzling.  I don't know why, though.  Now that I have heard the phrase, I can't seem to think of a better way to describe Him!  I love to be dazzled by a spectacular rainbow or a  breathtaking sunset.  The birth of a child or the healing of a loved one are indescribably dazzling experiences.  What I really, really, love, though, is the way God dazzles me through his presence and attention to detail in our lives every single day.

Those of us who have the pleasure of working with 5-2 Ministry know what it's like to be dazzled through these everyday experiences.  Every time we turn  around there is a new story to share about God's provision and his perfect timing!    There have been times of plenty and times of want as we strive to provide food for the hungry, but during all of these times God has never failed to dazzle with his unfailing love. 

How have you been dazzled today?

Happy Birthday!

Can you believe it? It has been a whole year since the first coupon-clipping session and initial shopping trip for 5-2 Ministry. After asking for people to donate their left-over grocery store coupons and extra pocket change for about 6 weeks, we were ready to get the ball rolling. We had enough resources to begin our journey, and off we went!

How exciting it was to experience such great success on our very first week: 1 shopper went to Publix and one went to Kroger. A total of 128 items, or $228 worth of groceries, was purchased for a total of $75.36! We knew without a doubt that God had blessed this ministry, and greater things were yet to come.

Little did we know what the Lord had in store for us over the course of the next 12 months. As the word began to spread about 5-2 Ministry, so did the enthusiasm. People began to make increasingly greater donations of not only their coupon flyers and finances, but also of their time and talents as well.

As I write this today, it is amazing to realize that ALL of our expectations have been exceeded in a HUGE way! In just one year, thousands of coupon flyers have been donated to 5-2 Ministry (215 flyers were received last week alone!). Thousands of dollars worth of financial contributions have been received as well (a little more than our initial request for pocket change!). Countless volunteers have answered the call to clip coupons, shop for, and deliver groceries to the co-op, and those numbers are increasing steadily.

Finally, and most importantly, it is a true joy to announce that 21,997 items have now been donated to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry through 5-2 Ministry! There was never any doubt that God had His hand on this ministry from the very beginning, but to witness results like this is truly miraculous! It appears that 5-2 Ministry was appropriately named: just as the Lord blessed a meager offering of 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish and used it to feed many, He has blessed our efforts so that many have been fed as well. Happy Birthday, 5-2!


Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have poured out on 5-2 Ministry and on the families in our community who have been reached through it, and for the privilege of being called to do your work in this world. Amen.

* * *
...Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied...

Matthew 14:19-20

Spotlight on Volunteers: Shoppers

What can I possibly say about these folks? They are the ones who are out there week after week serving on the front line, fearlessly entering grocery stores armed with envelopes of coupons, and emerging unscathed with bags and bags of food and other necessities to be delivered to the co-op. Most of the wonderful volunteers who shop for us insist that it is an easy thing to do, and although I know that the carts get heavy and sometimes there are heavy sighs from cashiers who would rather not have to scan lots of coupons, I've heard many stories from our shoppers about the joy it brings to be able to participate in this way.

Just imagine: some of our shoppers like to use this shopping time as a time to lift families in prayer, asking the Lord to bless each of the individuals who will be receiving the food that they are so lovingly shopping for. Others have found that their shopping trips turn into a time to be able to witness for Christ: fellow shoppers and store employees are always curious as to why we are purchasing 24 boxes of cereal, 35 cans of soup, or 42 boxes of spaghetti. When they ask that inevitable question, "What is all of this for?" it is a wonderful opportunity to share with them about the co-op and their ministry in our community. The next question, "Why are you doing this?" is an open invitation to speak about the love of Christ that calls us to respond!

I am so grateful to the people who take time out of their busy lives to shop for us. Together with our coupon angels and coupon clippers, they make this ministry complete. Their willingness to serve on the front lines--pushing those heavy carts and enduring those heavy sighs--makes it possible for individuals to receive much needed food for themselves and their families during their time of need. Thank you, shoppers for all you do!

Interrupted!

One of the best statements I've ever heard about how to handle interruptions in our lives--those annoying little things that seem to pop up just when we seem to have our own plans worked out so well--came from a presentation I heard on a women's retreat several years ago. We listened to a recording of a very inspirational presentation by Gloria Gaither in which she mentioned that, if you read the New Testament, you will find almost everything pertaining to the life of Christ was an interruption. So, she feels interruptions are the best part of her life, letting God do what He will in her life, and presenting her with the opportunity to touch someone for Christ. We don’t need to view ‘interruptions’ in our plans as something bad, but something brought about by God so that we can touch the lives of others.

I had not planned to do any grocery shopping this afternoon. As a matter of fact, I had not planned to do much of anything! After a busy, busy day yesterday, I was very tired. The only thing on my agenda after church today was most likely a nap! I have a feeling that many of our other 5-2 Ministry volunteers had similar plans: if not a nap, maybe watching a little football, doing some yard work, reading a book...but probably not clipping coupons and grocery shopping! When I received an email about the bare shelves at the co-op, however, there was no doubt that those of us who are involved with 5-2 Ministry would want to respond in whatever way we could. I wasn't sure how much we could do: I had an idea of what our available bank balance was (about $400), but I had no idea what the sales at the grocery stores would be this week or how many coupons we would have to match up with those sales. I prayed that the Lord would provide what we needed to enable us to make a difference, and I also prayed that God would move the hearts of His people--not only at SUMC but also in the community at large--to give generously to help meet the needs at the co-op. When I sat down to compile the list of items we would shop for, I was amazed to find that the sale items at the grocery stores matched up incredibly with the items that were most needed at the co-op: soup, vegetables, fruit, cereal, rice, pasta, canned milk, tuna....it was amazing and definitely a GOD thing!!! Not only that, but we found once again that we had abundant coupons to go with the items we needed to shop for: Thank you, Lord! By mid-afternoon, we had received monetary donations in excess of $1,300 and had MORE than enough money available to purchase all of the items on our list, and even add in a few more much-needed necessities!!! PRAISE GOD!!! As we delivered in excess of 1,400 items this afternoon, it filled my heart with joy to see that not only had 5-2 Ministry stepped up and responded, but many, many churches and individuals from throughout the community had done the same. By the time we were through counting, sorting, and putting items on the shelves, we found that not only were the shelves full in many areas, but there was back-stock as well.

God does amazing things through those who respond to His call. Thank you, Lord, for caring enough to interrupt our lives and give us the opportunity to touch others for YOU, and thank you for those who love you so much that they are willing to respond to your call and see you in the interruptions!

Spotlight on Volunteers: Coupon Clippers

There are a lot of different ways to use your talents when serving with 5-2 Ministry. In the previous post we mentioned the wonderful (and many times, anonymous) "Coupon Angels" who generously donate their coupons each week to our cause. Well, that is just the first step, because in order to use those coupons, we must first locate the ones we need to use and then they have to be CLIPPED! Fortunately, we have a group of folks who are very generous with their time, and who also happen to be really good with a pair of scissors. These individuals gather each Monday evening to locate the necessary coupons for that week and clip them from the coupon inserts. These people are amazing.

There is no stack of coupon flyers too high for these brave souls! Each week they cheerfully gather and commence to clipping, and before you know it they have turned stacks of coupon flyers into neat little bundles of coupons to be used in our shopping trips that week, and they seem to have fun doing it! It's truly an incredible sight to see, and I just love the joyful hearts that these people bring to this task each week. Who knew that a pair of scissors in the hands of a willing volunteer could be such an effective tool in serving our Lord? When you witness the fruits of the labor of these wonderful "Coupon Clippers" it is very apparent that He has taken this seemingly menial task and turned it into something significant for the good of His children. I am so thankful for these wonderful volunteers and their willingness to serve. God is so good!

Spotlight on Volunteers: Coupon Angels

We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 that each of us, as part of the body of Christ, is vital to the well-being of the entire body. There is no role that is more important in the function of the body than another, and without the contribution of each member, the entire body suffers. I am reminded of this frequently as the volunteers of 5-2 Ministry come together to carry out their roles in this ministry, each one serving as they have been called, all for the well-being of the body of Christ.

The interesting thing about this ministry is this: many of the volunteers that we have are completely anonymous! I like to think of them as our "coupon angels". They are people who, week after week, save their coupon inserts and quietly place them in collection bins at SUMC and other collection points for our use in purchasing donations for the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op. The individuals who donate these coupons are often unknown. They make their donations without a desire to be recognized: they simply know of a need and are responding to a call to help. The funny thing is, I am sure that most of these "coupon angels" probably don't even realize the significance of what their donations mean. What they need to know, however, is this: these coupons are the lifeblood of this ministry. Without them, we could accomplish nothing. With them, hundreds of families have food on their tables that they would otherwise not have. So, to all of you wonderful coupon angels out there: thank you! Your contribution is not only important, it is vital.

May you be blessed as you serve as a blessing to others.