Wal-Mart (and other) ministries

The folks at Wal-Mart international headquarters probably don’t know it, but one of their stores in Austin is the site of a significant ministry. Robbie Youngblood may be retired from our staff, but not from ministry. After all, she is only 88 years old, and still has much to do. Several times a week she goes to the Wal-Mart near her south Austin home to do her walking. If you know Robbie, you will not be surprised to know that of course she has made friends there among the employees. She knows their birthdays and sends cards. She takes treats to them for special holidays. She knows when family members are sick or in trouble, and always prays for them. And of course, they always exchange hugs. In a recent e-mail, she described sharing a thought from a Lenten devotional that Martha Stuber, our wonderful volunteer HomeCare coordinator, had given her. The devotional challenges readers to find six words to summarize their lives. Robbie shared her six words with her friends there at Wal-Mart and asked them to think about theirs and share them with her on her next visit. Robbie finds a ministry wherever she goes!.

Last week, while having lunch with friends at the International House of Pancakes (another exotic place), a church member came in with five or six young people. As they passed by our booth, she greeted us, saying she was having fun with some of her friends. I’m guessing she was giving those a special treat during their spring break—they all looked very happy.

I can’t even imagine how many other church members are engaged in ministries of love and service in our community, but I’m sure they number in the hundreds, if not more. Some are attached to community organizations, but no doubt many of them are your very own. I’d love to know about them—people who drive for Meals on Wheels or Austin Caregivers, those who serve as mentors or tutors in public schools, who volunteer at hospitals, or who simply are intentional about being present to people around them, like Robbie. Some of you haven’t even realized that what you are doing is ministry.

It would be great to read about your ministry in the comments section that follows—you don’t have to sign your name if you’d rather remain anonymous. But even if you don’t let me know—just keep on! You are, absolutely, the body of Christ in the world.