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Nashville
This month we're heading on over to Nashville!
Be sure to visit our opportunities page for
more information about serving with us in "Music City USA".
News from the Nashville City Director
Good food, good conversation, stellar entertainment. These are the
makings for an amazing evening, by anyone’s standards. Who would expect to find these
elements under a bridge?
Every Friday night, The Salvation Army presents, "The Red Shield
Sessions" at 6:30 p.m. during the weekly Soup Wagon Program. Soup, sandwiches, and/or
other hot meals are fed to the homeless while the band "Homeless Revolution" featuring
singer/songwriter Camille Alvey, Dawn Freeman, Joe Barker, Ashley Mimbala and a host
of friends belt out familiar tunes to warm the heart and soul of those less fortunate
in Nashville.
This fall, CSM groups, Tawnya, and I had the privilege of attending/serving
some of the “sessions”. The idea of driving under a bridge to spend an evening with the
homeless may seem intimidating to our groups, but these initial apprehensions quickly fade
as we step out of the vehicles. There is a great sense of community; consistent Salvation
Army volunteers greeting some of the “regulars”; the band setting up and taking requests;
breaking of bread with both old and new friends.
It is so easy for us to forget the importance of leisure and fellowship,
particularly when we are thinking about the poor, hungry, or hurting. James 2:2-4 says:
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine
clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to
the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man,
"You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among
yourselves…
It is not that the man wearing fine clothes doesn’t deserve special treatment,
nor is the poor man entitled to it. This scripture is more focused on the standards we set
on our actions.
How often do we serve the less fortunate with the assumption they should be
thankful for our “table scraps”. In service, we should give the best, and, as I said earlier,
good food, good conversation, stellar entertainment...definitely the makings for an amazing
evening.
-Jes Williams, CSM Nashville City Director
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