And So It Begins...

TODAY
is the first day of SERVOLUTION week!

I have already spotted several of our red shirts out & about around Baton Rouge this morning.
EARLY today, volunteers took FREE donuts to area bus stops to give to people while they were waiting.
And RIGHT NOW, more than 600 packs of gum are being handed out in downtown Baton Rouge to people working in the offices of various government and private businesses.
Later today will be a watermelon outreach at a couple of local high schools... the list goes on and on...

I was up early & off to Sam's to buy 100 red roses to pass out tonight for MIDNIGHT OUTREACH.
Several ladies from the "Moms Lifegroup" met me at the Annex to de-thorn the roses and tie ribbons and cards onto each rose. This evening, these same roses will be given to strippers and prostitutes to let them know that they are valuable and loved, right here, right now, just as they are.

For the next 7 days -- leading right up to Easter weekend -- there will be various outreaches going on all over the city of Baton Rouge.
Indeed, now that approx. 240 churches are participating world-wide, Servolution might be happening somewhere near YOU, in YOUR town.

You see, my church believes in BEING Jesus to those we meet, not just talking about Him.
We strive to be the "hands and feet" who are doing what we were instructed to do: SERVE.

All too often, the enemy would have us believe that we can't do anything until we get our own "stuff" together. That's a lie.
Your life does not have to be perfect to be used by God. If you keep waiting for the day that it is, it will never come. And when you get to the end of your life, you will regret not stepping out sooner.

It doesn't take much... a simple smile, buying the guy behind you a cup of coffee, offering to pay for the groceries of the young mom in line, taking home-baked cookies to your local police or fire station... even picking up trash in your own neighborhood or washing out your neighbors' trash cans are simple ways you can be a servant for Christ.

What are you waiting for?
The world doesn't need a revolution;
It needs a SERVOLUTION.

To SERVE

You know, all too often, the world judges Christians by the squeaky wheels who make us look so bad... you know the type: hyper-judgmental and anything BUT full of love, the extremists who do everything EXCEPT what Jesus really called us to do: To Love and to SERVE.
Why is that?
Because that is all they choose to see.

-->>They don't see us feeding the homeless at 6 am... or us giving shelter to the runaway who is fleeing abuse.
-->>They don't see us at midnight, taking roses to the strip clubs to tell the girls there that they are VALUABLE and worthy to be loved.
-->>They don't see our volunteers spending countless hours tutoring at-risk youth in the inner city, giving them the time and attention they desperately need, several times a week.
-->>They don't see our college kids and high schoolers using their summer vacation to go and feed starving orphans in Africa and Brazil and Honduras and India...

They don't see it because it doesn't fit into their tidy, politically-correct view of who we are.
But that doesn't change reality.
The "nut jobs" might get the most media attention, but we are the ones building a legacy... for those who are not yet here.

You see, there ARE Christians out there who really are trying to walk out their faith and be the "hands and feet" of Jesus to EVERYONE they meet.
If you don't believe me, just check this out:

At last check, there are more than 200 churches, worldwide, that are participating in SERVOLUTION!

That is simply phenomenal!

What is a "Servolution" you ask?
"Sharing God's love and changing lives through simple acts of kindness."

Our very own pastor, Dino Rizzo, wrote the book, SERVOLUTION which will be debuting very soon...
Here are just a FEW of the things we will be doing during Servolution Week (April 3-9):

• *FREE (no donations!) CAR WASHES
• *VISITING AREA NURSING HOMES
  *CLEANING the BATTERED WOMEN'S SHELTER (and pampering the ladies, too!)
• *PASSING OUT FREE BOTTLED WATER TO PEOPLE SITTING IN RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC
  
• *SERVING BREAKFAST TO HOMELESS VETERANS
  *CLEANING/PAINTING/DOING YARDWORK FOR AREA WIDOWS
• *PASSING OUT CANDY TO PEOPLE SITTING AT THE DMV
  *PICKING UP TRASH & MOWING LAWNS ("Adopt-a-Block")
• *FREE AUTO REPAIR & OIL CHANGES FOR SINGLE MOMS & WIDOWS
  

---->>> And this list is, by no means, complete. This is a mere sampling of the activities we will carry out (and, in fact, DO carry out on a regular basis!).

But, the really cool thing is, you don't have to be a member of Healing Place Church to help out! In fact, you don't even have to live in Louisiana!

"Servolution is about churches partnering together and reaching out to their communities through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God to people in our community."

YOUR very own church can sign up to get involved and be a part of one amazing week showing the world what it really means to be followers of Christ. And there are tons of ideas with practical tips and information for you to get started. Just click here:

SERVOLUTION (Cont.)

9 AM Start @ The Highland Campus!

Wow! Today was absolutely incredible! I have never seen anything like it & I am SO PROUD to be a part of something so awesome... Today was HPC's 1st (annual?) SERVOLUTION. Basically, about 600 volunteers of all ages -- and all in RED SERVE SHIRTS -- took to the streets of Baton Rouge to show God's love for the people. There were teams of people giving out water, free car washes, home repairs, trash/litter pick-up, and SO much more! There were red shirts all over this RED STICK town! Carole and I went down to the inner city for the HUGE block party near Gus Young Park. We had an amazing turn-out. There was free food (hamburgers, hot dogs, and Popeye's Fried Chicken), games (basketball, slip-n-slide, jump rope, space walks) and more...Healing Place Church sent out our Mobile Medical Clinic and our Mobile Dental Clinic to do FREE blood pressure checks and glucose screenings. Free teeth cleaning was available for all children. We pampered the ladies with complimentary hand massages and manicures while the kids got their faces painted and were given books to take home. Everyone received a bag of groceries at the end of the day.
This was a truly awesome experience and I'm glad I got to take part! Check out my pictures from SERVOLUTION 2007!:


Girls + Nail Polish = FUN! *** Our Manicure Table!

Nadia as manicurist... & Face Painting for everyone!


Carole and Liz getting some GOOD FOOD!
& HPC Mobile Medical and Mobile Dental Clinics

Water games for the kids! *** Can you say, "Double Dutch?"

You know what?

The world needs a SERVOLUTION!

SERVOLUTION!!!

Servolution is in TWO DAYS!!

This is a city-wide outreach that Healing Place Church is doing to try to make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time. All day Saturday, the city of Baton Rouge will see our
RED SHIRTS serving the people -- ALL PEOPLE -- in various capacities.
There will be water give-aways (and since it's STILL in the 90's here, that's a VERY GOOD thing),
car washes, block parties, home repairs, school repairs, all kinds of outreach to show the city of Baton Rouge how much we love them, and more importantly, how much God loves them!
It's not too late to sign up if you want to be involved... Just click on the banner above or below: