Blog Archives

Ministries Unlimited Thought For The Week (#9)

June 9, 2025

On June 3rd, we helped host the Summer Kickoff Community Resource & Outreach Market.  I have to say that we were blown away by the number of attendees.  This was our first collaboration with the TMSM Chamber of Commerce, Jarvis Township, and the Farmer's Market.  We hope everyone that attended had a wonderful time and enjoyed all of the free food and giveaways!  I know the kids enjoyed seeing Bluey!  It was a pleasure to see so many of you and to talk with you.  The goal was to bring resources to the public in one location, and I think we achieved that goal.  The hope is that this will become an annual tradition along with our next event on August 5th, National Night Out.  Keep a look out for further updates on that event on social media.  

That leads me to this week's thought of the week, helping neighbors.  I remember as a child going out and playing with other kids in the neighborhood.  Our parents would send us outside after we finished breakfast and our chores for the day and they didn't expect to see us until lunchtime or dinner.  We either played with our siblings or went next door to ask our friends to come out and play.  We ran all over the neighborhood playing games and getting into mischief.  Often times we would end up at one of our neighbor's houses, some had grown children or no children.  Mrs. Strickland was one of those neighbors, she would always have a pitcher of fresh lemonade for us kids to drink and sometimes made cookies for us to snack on as well.  Our backyard abutted hers and we were always using her yard to hide in.  As we grew older and she lost her husband, it was apparent that she needed some help with her yard and around the house.  I started mowing her grass every summer and did this until I moved away, back then it paid a whopping $5 a week.  Once I heard my mother say that she didn't think Mrs. Strickland had a lot of extra cash.  So, I tried to think of a way to help without her knowing.  If she wasn't home, I would rush over and mow the lawn, then come back a day or two later and tell her the lawn didn't look like it needed to be mowed that week.  It wasn't much, but it was one way of helping out and allowing her to maintain her dignity.  Helping others was a concept taught not only in our home, but also in church and in Scouts.  

You may be familiar with the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child".  If we as a community help educate our children on the importance of helping others, then we will raise a generation of adults that will be involved in their community.  In today's world of constant activity, how do we take time to help our neighbors?  One way is to be observant and look at doing small activities to help lighten the load.  I don't consider myself old or as someone who needs help, but it was thoughtful of my neighbor to send her son and his friend over to my house to help me pull weeds from a flower bed one day.  They spent a good 30 minutes to an hour helping pull weeds and dumping wheelbarrow loads in the field.  During that time, we talked about school and what they are doing for the summer.  I felt so grateful for the help and the companionship, in return it taught them how rewarding it is to help your neighbor.  One year, my other neighbor saw me out push mowing in the July & August heat while I waited for the rider to get fixed.  I was sitting in the house wondering why his mower was so loud this time and got up to look.  He had mowed my yard for me!  Teach your children to look for ways that they can help lighten the load for one of your neighbors.  Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.