Q: How has the "For the City" series challenged the congregation to reach out to your city?
A: This series has been great! God, in His infinite wisdom, perfectly aligned this series in timing with the heart of the pastors in Harlingen. We have been doing outreach since we planted, but we knew we wanted to grow in this area even more. Every week in the sermons there have been perfect tie-ins to our outreaches. As Nehemiah is burdened to the point of action in Jerusalem, we are burdened to take action in Harlingen. Nehemiah’s attitude of prayer, boldness, action, and DEPENDENCE ON GOD have been great examples for us.

Q: How are you building relationships with the community at Le Moyne Gardens?
A: Time. Consistency. And time. There is just no substitute for being in a community many times, over several years. In essence, we are saying, “We are not content with just giving you some stuff and splitting. We want relationships with you. We want “you” to become “us.” We’re not splitting.

Q: What was a highlight from the Back-to-School outreach at LeMoyne Gardens?
A: This is a neighborhood we have been investing in for a year and a half now. We have seen salvations, and now have members from this neighborhood in our church. It was great to see those members, from that neighborhood, now serving with us to that community. The “they” that we were doing outreach to have become “we.” That is our goal now. We had a much larger turnout in that neighborhood than we ever have. I think people are now starting to trust us. It means a lot to have the kids come up, want to be on our shoulders, and remember our names—and that has taken time.

Q: What did the youth do to reach the city of San Antonio during their summer mission trip?
A: We really did two things. First, we did yard work at an awesome campus called “Haven for Hope.” This is a groundbreaking venture in San Antonio to address chronic homelessness. On the same campus are located offices for employment, dental and medical services, permanent housing help, counseling, etc. The goal is to give people time on campus (a year or more) to become empowered to leave and have a job, a place to live, etc.
In the afternoon, we ministered in the downtown area to the homeless population. We brought bags with toiletries, a fresh pair of socks, some snacks, etc., and we handed these out and prayed for many.

Q: How did the youth group grow after their San Antonio mission trip?
A: As with any trip, the outreach was as valuable (or more) for our youth than those we ministered to. Many had never done street ministry—seeing real poverty, praying for people, and sharing the gospel. Many of the youth (and a few leaders) were really stretched. And doing challenging things always strengthens a team, and this was no exception. Much of the value was simply getting our kids out of the Valley, to do some challenging things TOGETHER. The team came back stronger and more unified.