​

 

In the next two years, we will pursue spiritual formation so that we will become Good Samaritans to the families in our community, internalizing the gospel to serve our neighborhoods. We will take scores of people on a journey of a lifetime. This adventure is biblically fueled and missionally focused as we relentlessly pursue God’s dream for our church – to become Good Samaritans to the families in our community.

We picture platoons of people putting on the full armor of God so they are equipped to be messengers of mercy. As our discipleship grows we will see neighborhoods turned upside down by the unexplainable kindness of our members.

Motivated by the compassion of the Good Samaritan and inspired by the Good Shepherd’s own words “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” (Matt 25:35) and recognizing the call of Scripture to “train up a child in the way he should go” we intend to be difference makers in our community through two key areas of focus: ending hunger for children in our local schools and arming parents with  biblical wisdom so they can navigate the rough seas of daily living.

​Our sense of urgency is stirred because hunger extends its toxic tentacles more each year in the New Brunswick area. Research shows that hunger is one of the primary reasons children perform poorly in school. This year an average of 67% of local elementary students receive free or reduced meals. Our sense of urgency for families’ spiritual lives results from the drastically different way their children view and engage the world.

We see families, their lives parched by our muddled culture, guzzling living water. We see marriages welded together and Moms and Dads unlocking the secrets to being godly parents to a spiritually disaffected generation. We picture schools of teenagers adrift without Christ being thrown the life jacket of Hope. We envision the hunger quotient in our schools diminish as 300 undernourished children laugh while relishing their weekend meals.

We imagine this as God’s dream for our church. As hundreds of us renovate our lives through discipleship, we fulfill God’s call to be Good Samaritans, internalizing the good news of the gospel by loving God and others in practical, life-giving ways and transforming our community in the process.