This month’s Best Practice Tip: let people know they are loved.
Being shown you are loved is one of the Ten Dimensions of Belonging.
Building belonging in your congregation means showing people they are loved. As Dr. John Swinton puts it, “There is a tremendous power and beauty in the suggestion that the church is called to be a specialist in human kindness. Small acts of kindness, tenderness, and thoughtfulness bring healing. It’s really not that complicated.” (Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges, p. 215).
- You can…
- Send a card in the mail to someone who hasn’t been to church in a while
- Offer a ride to someone who doesn’t drive
- Bring coffee or a treat to a caregiver at home
- Text a smiley face to let a hurting person know you are thinking of them and praying for them
- Share Psalm 109:26, or another short verse that helps people know that God’s Word is for them, wherever they are in life.
- Explore each others’ spiritual gifts using the Unwrapping Your Gifts unit of the Together Curriculum
- ….What can YOU think of?
Disabilities may be a part of us, the “pink side” of our “puzzle piece”. What some of us need to hear is this: “Sometimes God uses our areas of challenge in His service as well as things that are easy for us. He also loves our entire puzzle piece. He treasures you as a person, not for what you can or cannot do.” (Worship As One: Varied Abilities in the Body of Christ, p. 53).
