By Carl Stagner

One church in Washington State seized a recent opportunity to serve like Jesus served, meeting real needs motivated by sincere love. Throughout the year, Skyrocket Church in Prescott, Washington, seeks ways to connect with neighbors and point them to Christ. When a gap was identified between local available services and the very people that could benefit most, the Church of God congregation opted to build a bridge and bring all the community resources together under one roof. They called it a “Summer Resource Roundup,” but it would prove to be a hub of help, hope, and hospitality.

Because, who really needs to reinvent the wheel when the wheels of numerous, practical resources exist and function fine? The chance to curate existing resources actually leverages the potency of partnership, establishing even more connections than could new goods and services provided exclusively by the local church. Pastor JD Croft explains the impetus for the idea.

“The idea for the Summer Resource Roundup came from one of our congregation members,” he recalls. “They recognized that there were so many great organizations offering resources and events in the Prescott area, but that it was hard to find all of the information in one place. We thought that it was a fantastic idea and began planning immediately! This is the first time we have had a resource fair at Skyrocket Church, but we are already planning on doing one next year.”

The turnout was terrific, and no doubt beneficial to both the organizations and community members, many of whom met for the first time. In addition to the opportunity to promote the church’s own events and services (like their upcoming VBS), Skyrocket Church welcomed representatives from the Prescott Parks and Recreation pool, Northwest Grain Growers, Prescott Library, Heart to Heart Medical, veterans services, a local resource center and food bank, the YMCA, a senior center, Inland Cellular, Work Source, AARP, and several others.

“At Skyrocket Church, we really want to be present in our community and help our town in any way we can,” Pastor JD explains. “We strive to be a church of open doors, where everyone feels welcome and safe, regardless of whether they are a part of our congregation. We hope that opportunities like this help connect our community with resources that help them with whatever is going on in their lives—from job opportunities to fun events, to medical and food resources—we are thrilled that several valuable connections were made at the Resource Roundup, and we hope to continue facilitating those connections between our town and the amazing organizations in the area.”

It matters greatly to Skyrocket Church that the congregation is oriented outward, instead of focused within.

“If what we talk about on Sunday doesn’t affect how we live life on Monday, then we are all just wasting our time. As followers of Christ, we want to walk as he walked, serve as he served, and love as he loved. And Jesus was incredibly outward-focused—he ministered to everybody, not just his disciples! So, we want to do the same. Though we are a young church (going on two years this September), I hope that our community knows that we have their back and that we are doing everything we can for the good of Prescott—proven in deed, not just spoken in word.”

Learn more about the Church of God movement at www.JesusIsTheSubject.org.