USA (MNN) — City Team Ministries in Oakland, California began their Thanksgiving outreach last week.
They distributed several hundred turkeys and chickens to those in the Oakland community and those who came to their facilities to get them.
The second prong of this outreach came last night. More than 300 people were served a hot meal in downtown Oakland. There was singing and a message from City Team's Chris Williams. Williams shared "Paul's writing in 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul says that in everything, give thanks. Notice he did not say for everything, but in everything. It doesn't matter the seemingly hopeless situation they're faced with. The fact is they're alive."
City Team serves a variety of people during this ministry–men of their recovery groups, homeless shelter, and families in need who might have been a part of their Bags of Love ministry.
Williams says the outreach offers "insurmountable opportunities. I mean, I'll be sharing in the Word and then also just through exhibiting the love of God through serving people that are not normally on the receiving end of being served. It's just through our example that many will see the love of God in us, and it will cause them to be drawn to Christ."
Williams calls this an "access point" to reach people who normally would not have been in a Christian atmosphere, especially for those who have nowhere to go otherwise. "God has really graced us with the opportunity to be a family away from family so many people will respond," said Williams.
While volunteers are always needed, this ministry has the potential to increase the number of people they serve. Therefore, the number of volunteers needed is increased. "They can get involved by coming down to volunteer, by cooking, by leading our chapel services, by leading a Bible study, by doing mentoring of our men. There are so many ways to get involved," said Williams.
