Crazy Days

Today marked our 4th Annual Best Buy service project. It is something that I now look forward to every year. For those that are still somehow unaware, today was Black Friday. It is the day that officially starts the Christmas Shopping Season.

I used to believe the people who woke up early on this day to get some special "deals" were just out of their minds. Then 5 years ago I was awakened. Our church was in dire need of new computers, and the deal that year was for $200 machines... monitor included. We saved thousands by showing up at about 2 a.m. From that moment I was hooked.

That first year I was a complete Noob. I had no idea what went on and what I was expected to do. So, I showed up in a long-sleeved shirt and prepared to sit in my car until the doors opened. Imagine my surprise when I actually saw people standing outside of the Best Buy in some sort of line. That is one time my lack of cleaning came in very handy as I happened to have a few blankets sitting in the back of my car. I wrapped up as best I could and endured the freezing cold. About 5 a.m. someone came by handing out coupons for breakfast at Sonic. I thought to myself, "Man if they brought the food here I bet a lot of people would buy it." As we discussed our increasing hunger and cold the idea continued to grow in us... If there was food and drink here I bet people would want it.

So, the next year when we returned we came back with hot chocolate and cookies. The hot chocolate was a hit, but the cookies not so much. Then we noticed that we had some competition. There was man who had brought a small grill and was selling hot dogs; that is until the Sheriff came and asked him to stop. But, we saw that people were more willing to buy hot dogs than to eat our free cookies...

Last year we upgraded to hot chocolate and hot dogs. There were probably 400 people in line and we served until we ran out of stuff to serve. It was a fun time and incredibly cold. I don't think I even bought anything that year, as by that time the service project was way more fun than the shopping.

That brings us up to this year, where we had about 15 people show up to help us serve hot chocolate and hot dogs to the waiting people. We even had a travel service this year with a rolling cart filled with food and drink. We also added another cool piece this year... surveys. It is our desire to minister to our community in many ways this year, and we want to know what kinds of things they would be interested in doing. Our survey team did a great job... even though their pens were apparently frozen.

Some people look at us strange when we say we are going to Best Buy early in the morning to serve people standing in line. Some of them look that way simply because it is so early. Others seem to be thinking, "Why are you serving those people. They obviously don't have any needs, I mean they are consumers!" It is almost as if people are unworthy to be served unless they cannot afford food, clothing, and transportation. The problem I have with that way of thinking is that the community God has placed us in is able to afford all of those things. If we were to restrict our ministry to purely physical needs then we would only reach 5-10% of our community.

I am convinced that the other 90% of our community has needs too. In fact, those needs may even be more critical that the physical needs that we so often focus on. The next 6 weeks mark the highest suicide weeks of the year. And if think it is only the poor and hungry who commit suicide, you would be wrong. This time of year also sees marriages collapse, families splinter, and lives fall apart. And, most of these needs cannot be met with food or clothing. They take deeper things that only come in relationship. And, that is what we are aiming at with our projects like the Best Buy service project. As strange as it is, we have a relationship with these people. Some of them have been with us all 4 years and remember us from year to year. Every time we are out there we have people comment on how strange it is that people would just... serve people they don't even know. In the midst of a purely consumerist location we offer a slightly different look at what people can do with their time and resources.

This is the first in a line of things that we are going to do to minister to the emotionally, relationally, and spiritually needy people in our community. Will we still serve those who are also physically needy? Of course. Even this year we are encouraging every family in our church to adopt one family in need and buy them a box of Angel Food. We are even investing in them to help them on their way. We still believe in helping those in physical need. We are just no longer content to minister only to them. I remain a both/and kind of person.