On Saturday I stood in the middle of a park in Shelby, N.C., and tried not to be hit by the red frisbees flying through the air as local children learned to play frisbee golf (let’s just say some of the throws were less than accurate!). As I stepped out the path of one wild throw, a red frisbee skidded to a stop just past me and I noticed two words splashed in the middle of the frisbee: “You can.” It’s based on Philippians 4:13, which reminds us we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. And on Saturday, I saw three living examples of this verse.
When she’s not working as a full-time hospice chaplain, Cecelia Beck is living out God’s call in a Shelby neighborhood that struggles with crime and drugs. She was commissioned as one of CBF’s affiliate field personnel last year, and she’s spent a year building a foundation for her neighborhood ministry. Now, she’s almost there. There’s this old house in the neighborhood that church and community members will be helping Cecelia restore. When it’s done, she’ll move into the house and be able to minister day in and day out. She’ll have a ministry of presence – ministering to the community as she becomes a part of the community. And she is excited about what God will do.
A short drive from Shelby is Asheville, N.C., where Fran and Mike Graham live and minister to the thousands of Slavic immigrants and refugees moving to the Asheville area. About eight years ago, Fran knew God was calling her to a special ministry. But she didn’t know what it was until she heard a local woman speaking in Russian. She learned that there was a rapidly growing Slavic population in Asheville and slowly learned how she could help. Now, she and her husband, Mike, are CBF affiliate field personnel who ensure new Slavic families have the resources they need to start a new life. Like Cecelia, the Grahams are both employed in other industries; their ministry happens in their free time (though you wouldn’t guess it looking at all the ministry they are part of).
Cecelia, Fran and Mike are doing a lot through Christ who called them and strengthens them. But I have a hunch that they’d be the first to tell you that there’s no special reason God called them. They just listened, followed their God-given passion, and have been surprised all along the way at how God has worked.
Could God be calling you? Learn more about opportunities to join God’s mission through CBF at www.thefellowship.info/missions.