The Connecting Grounds

Hallelujahs and other 8pm thoughts

Please note that this verse uses "others" broadly... it does not say, Do unto: those you like, those you are comfortable with, those who you agree with, ... those who have houses, those who are sober, those who have no record, those who think like you, those who vote like you, Red letters encourage us to do unto all people because all people are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion.

Tonight our staff took part in a digital advocacy event with the Springfield NAACP on behalf of our unsheltered neighbors. Stories of lived experience on the streets of our city were shared, challenging thoughts by faith and community leaders were spoken, and action was called for. We challenge you to take time to listen, ponder, pray over, and consider these words and these stories that were shared with boldness and courage.

Last week KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio did a ten-part series called "Unsheltered". It explored the issue of homelessness in our community and how this vulnerable population of our neighbors has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each episode is 6-7 minutes long so the entire series takes about an hour to listen to. We encourage you to invest some time this week to listen to these stories from the streets of our city. Here are the links to listen to the series in order: ... 1. https://www.ksmu.org//shelters-see-reduced-beds-and-volunt 2. https://www.ksmu.org//advocates-ask-city-springfield-chang 3. https://www.ksmu.org//hundreds-springfield-s-homeless-sign 4. https://www.ksmu.org//switching-hot-seated-meals-grab-and- 5. https://www.ksmu.org//springfield-couple-living-tent-avoid 6. https://www.ksmu.org//sea-churches-why-there-shortage-volu 7. https://www.ksmu.org//homeless-women-displaced-pandemic-fa 8. https://www.ksmu.org//get-job-you-say-3-homeless-men-look- 9. https://www.ksmu.org//springfields-homeless-community-and- 10. https://www.ksmu.org//how-are-other-communities-using-care

Join us for the third week of advent as we talk about joy.

We are so grateful for the outcome of The Great Warm-a-Thon that was hosted by The Mystery Hour and supported by Bass Pro Shops and Springfield Vineyard Church. The love and generosity of these organizations and those in our community who gave- made it possible to provide the unsheltered neighbors in our community with more than 25,000 hot hands this winter!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! <3

Today we are grateful for the brief bit of warmer weather that we are enjoying. What are you thankful for today?

Our amazing friends at The Mystery Hour are getting close to the end of their amazing "HotHands for the Homeless: The Great Warm-a-thon" campaign and they are SO close to their goal! To help them reach their goal- our other wonderful friends at Springfield Vineyard Church have stepped up to provide a matching donation challenge up to $1000! Can you spare a few dollars today to help provide life-saving Hot Hands for our unsheltered neighbors this winter? Money given now wil...l be doubled so it's a great time to jump in and Love Out Loud! https://www.gofundme.com/f/hothands-for-the-homeless-the-gr

We are all in this together and the actions of each of us- individually and collectively- impact our community as a whole. Please be loving and compassionate with your choices as people, families, businesses, churches, and leaders in this increased level of illness and risk in our community.