In April 2020, the Blessing Box was established on our campus. The concept came about as we recognized that food insecurity was growing in prevalence among households in our community. We saw a clear need and excitedly accepted the challenge to come alongside our community through a client choice food pantry. We were able to creatively have many hands involved during a time where physical contact was discouraged. Our Deacon Board built the Blessing Box, and the Calvary Family made sure it was stocked regularly with items people needed.
As peoples’ needs were changing, our Blessing Box ministry team continuously sought the Lord for wisdom and discernment, and we felt God walking with us along a new but steady path. In the inception of the Blessing Box, fulfilling physical needs was the goal, but as the months progressed, God revealed the spiritual needs. As a ministry team, we wanted to think big, start small, and go deep. We followed this path with God paving the way. People in our community were sharing prayer requests—mental health for their children, job opportunities, health and wellness of family members. The spiritual needs were there, and God was present and attentive in drawing us closer to His people.
As the Blessing Box progressed, we noticed that we couldn’t keep hygiene items and cleaning products stocked frequently enough. Throughout the community, those specific physical needs were continuously being sought after. With a desire to go deeper with the people we were connecting with, we began offering a monthly distribution of those items. We consistently meet with a dozen families through the distribution and have seen people begin to grow in their trust of the Church.
In August 2021, we temporarily closed the Blessing Box. The needs were changing, God was moving, and we wanted to follow. As we leaned into the Holy Spirit, we patiently and prayerfully thought through next steps. We recognized God is calling us to fully love His people, to deepen relationship, to insert ourselves into His story and their lives. We recognize the Blessing Box served a very specific purpose during a very specific time, so we want to learn from that experience and continue to go deeper. In addition to our Calvary LOVES distribution of hygiene and cleaning items, we want to take things a step further. Therefore, we have invited the families we have been serving to join us for a meal. Currently, our community does not offer hot meals for those in need, so we hope to fulfill a physical need, but more importantly we look forward to talking with people, hearing their celebrations and hurts, and breaking bread with them.
Stay tuned for more details on how you can partner with us as we think big, start small, and go deep.