Connie and Alan teach special needs children in the most destitute homes in the heart of a dying urban area. Connie and Alan are grateful Christians, profoundly aware of the grace of God in their lives. For this reason, they have organized an outreach ministry through their church to respond to the needs of children, many of whom suffer from abuse or neglect. When they are not working for the public school system, they use their time and energy to engage in Christian ministry.
Connie and Alan organize drivers to bring carloads of inner-city children to the church for hot breakfasts, Sunday school, lunches on the lawn in the summer, vacation Bible school, and parking lot concerts. They often host the children in their suburban home for overnight parties or birthday celebrations. For over a year, they lent their car on weekends to a family they cared for.
Recently, Connie and Alan decided to move to the inner city. They are determined to witness to their faith by the way they live, “to present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice” and make this their “spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).
Connie and Alan’s ministry has disturbed many of their friends and fellow church members. The children whom they bring to worship look and behave differently than do more advantaged children. Connie and Alan’s outreach ministry has not been easy, but it has changed the lives of the children and their families. It has also changed the church.
Infusion Bible eStudies are downloadable small group studies that can be read online, printed, or emailed. Each study includes a leader guide and a study guide and is suitable for a one-hour group Bible study.
Listen...to the words of the Scripture, and in them discover God's message for you today.
Look...at a brief verbal snapshot from the scrapbook of contemporary life and discover its connection both to you and to the Scripture passage.
Live...inside the Scripture to discover its context and message; then allow the Scripture to come alive in you and cause you to live out your faith in new and more-effective ways.
