Missions In Motion: Charm City Servants

By Rachel Bowers
Grace Fellowship Church

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Timothy 6: 17-18)

As a stay-at-home mom or a working woman, the idea of having an impact in the inner city can seem overwhelming, intangible, and even scary. This was a challenge my friends and I would discuss as we were praying about how to be involved in our church's inner city initiative. As we prayerfully considered how God could open a door for us to serve in a capacity we were comfortable with, a vision statement grew in our hearts. We felt called to offer women we knew the opportunity to serve homemade meals to women and children in shelters in Baltimore City.

We began by serving 12 homemade casseroles in January 2007 and in March we are expecting to deliver more than 60 casseroles, more than 7,000 servings. As we continue to pray about where and how we should serve, God is faithfully revealing who is in need of a hot meal.

Martha's Place, JACQUES Initiative, Boys Hope Girls Hope, and the Agape Family Empowerment Center are our current recipients and we are hoping to add an after-school shelter in Sandtown. God has blessed us with this vision and it is impacting the lives of women serving and those being served.

Note: As you may know, CPC and GFC are partnering in serving Baltimore people affected by AIDS. Grace's Charm City Servants group is inviting anyone from Central to join them or form a similar ministry. To learn more about CCS and how you can get involved, check out the website at charmcityservants.org or contact Rachel.