But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2: 4-10 (ESV)
God has performed a remarkable work through his Son to secure a people for himself. In this calling, we have been given a great privilege to walk in the good works that God has prepared for us. By walking in these good works, we honor God and show Him the love that we have for Him. God’s Word tells us that second only to loving God is loving our neighbor. To do so is a work that God has prepared for us.
During my first four weeks at TEAM, I have seen these good works played out in so many ways. Volunteer caseworkers with compassion listening to TEAM clients and finding ways to meet their needs. Food Pantry volunteers unloading the Houston Food Bank truck, taking in countless boxes of food donated through the Boy Scout food drive, moving boxes of food from storage areas to the service area, and loading shopping cart after shopping cart of food to serve hungry client families. Resale Shop volunteers taking in and sorting through carload after carload of donations, pricing and readying items to move onto the sales floor. Other volunteers keeping racks of clothing full, finding a spot for another piece of furniture, assembling new shelves to display more housewares, home décor, and toys. And yet other volunteers answering customer questions on the sales floor and serving as cashiers for customers ready to make a purchase.
All of these volunteers share a common vision. They love, are glad to help and desire to serve those in the Tomball community who are in need. This is TEAM’s heartbeat… these volunteers who commit themselves to energetically serve. I continue to be profoundly impressed with this testimony to our Lord Christ Jesus, that because they love Him, they are glad to love their neighbor.
It is with this in mind that I say it is my great privilege to serve alongside so many in our quest to enhance the Tomball community by loving our neighbor. Thank you, dear friends, for this God-honoring work.
J. Barry Hart, Jr.
Executive Director
Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries (TEAM)