Do you know Catlyn Watkins and Addison Pointer? These two ladies are the founders and brains behind "Handy Lunches" in Florence, AL. Last year one of our first GO! visits was to see these two girls in action. Here's a little glimpse at what these two girls are about:

This past summer the two led a session at GO! Camp and also served as counselors. We love these two and were excited to get to catch up with them and see what they're up to now!

First of all, how do you and Addison know each other?

I actually met Addison in Girl Scouts when we were kids, but it wasn’t until she transferred to Mars Hill Bible School our sophomore year that we got to know each other. We’ve pretty much been best friends since then.

What is Handy Lunches?

Handy Lunches is a free meal program that we host the second Saturday of every month at the Handy Recreational Center. We arrange it there because the rec center is within walking distance of Florence’s government housing.

What inspired the two of you to start Handy Lunches?

Addison and I were doing a canned food drive our senior year of high school. When we took the boxes of food to people in the community, we were struck by how great a need there was, so we decided to do something on a bigger scale.

Would you say Handy Lunches has been successful?

Absolutely! The first Handy Lunches we served around 40 people, which was fantastic. Now we’re serving over 200. We’ve also been blessed to where we can provide more than just food. We would love to see Handy Lunches grow as big as possible. We love this.

What sorts of things have you been doing other than serving food?

We have had canned food giveaways a few times, which have been great because that benefits more than just that day. Our coat drive has been another big and needed one. We did goody bags for Easter, valentines in February, stockings of toys for the kids at Christmas. We’ve had festivals with puppet shows and candy, and we’ve done bible classes.

Are there other people that help you and Addison out each month?

Our churches both contribute food each month, and members help us organize and serve. We even had a local basketball team who made valentines in February, which was incredible. It was touching to see others outside Killen and Pleasant Valley churches of Christ wanting to get involved.

What else makes Handy Lunches possible?

First, keeping God first will always be a priority. None of this could have happened without Him. In addition to the volunteers, I could absolutely not do this without Addison. We work together so well. If we don't see something the same way, we compromise, work together, and figure it out. She's one of my best friends, and I don't think she will ever know how much it means to me that she did this with me and didn't look at me like I was crazy when we started. I would be lost without her.

Have any good stories from your experiences with Handy Lunches?

Handy Lunches was submitted to a pay-it-forward contest, and we were on the local news for that. Someone in Huntsville just saw us, heard the story, and sent a check to my church for Handy Lunches to use however needed. I literally cried. That someone who has no clue who we are was so generous and trusted us to use the money for the benefit of Handy Lunches meant so much to me. God is in this, and I truly see that He has blessed it beyond belief. Without Him we would have failed.

What can people do to help?

The way others can help is sending canned food, school supplies, coats, shoes: those kinds of things can always be used. We always love to hand out cards and goodies with Bible verses, and I know how much the visitors love it. Of course, cash donations are always nice. If someone is local, cooking one month would be great. But most of all we need prayers and encouragement. Just knowing someone out there is praying for Handy Lunches means so much to us.

Day 30

Day 29

Does God's transforming love extend to people in prison? Of course. However, for many, the idea of stepping foot inside a prison and building relationships with the men/women inside is unthinkable. 

We've been inspired and challenged by a group of young college students who are setting out to do just that. They are about to embark on a ministry to inmates and could use your help. The core group setting this all up includes university student Josh Allison and two GO! counselors: Katelyn Collison and Whitney Pirtle. We spoke with Josh to get the details. 

GO!: What led you to speak God's love to inmates?  

Josh: We found out about this great idea from Katelyn. Her family started the TN Prison Ministry in 1984 and have been spreading the ministry all throughout the state. They are in their 80's and we are wanting to lend a hand and do what we can for God's work. We are led to do this ministry from the passage, Matthew 9:11-13. Jesus came for the sick and we are passionate about reaching out to people who don't have the chance since they are on death row. We know God is calling us to do this great work in his name. 

GO!:What exactly goes into a prison outreach?

Josh: A prison ministry is not really that complex. All we have to do is set something up with the TN Prison Ministry and they handle talking to the prison chaplain. All we do is show up for the spreading Gods news. We are very excited about doing this and we are wanting to learn all we can about how they set up a prison ministry. So, we can spread it through more than just TN! 

GO!: How do you prepare for an outreach to people on death row?

Josh: We prepare by prayer since we haven't ever done this yet and we don't really know what to expect. We also prepare by talking with our friends, studying the bible together, and coming up with a game plan to reach the lost. 

GO!: What can the GO! family do to help?

Josh: We would love for GO! to help. We could use bibles (Any Version) sent to us at the school! We would also love notes of encouragement to us and the prisoners! It would be great to show the prisoners that people care about them and their souls! 

We can't wait to get this started and have GO! experience this great work! We love all of you and we hope you can help! 

Want to send Bibles for the team to hand to men and women in prison? Start up a collection at your church or in your garage. Bibles can be sent to:

Josh Allison, 158 East Main Street., Box 352, Henderson, TN 38340

Day 28

 

There's a community of college students/Christ followers who want to connect with you and help.

Last night over 100 college students gathered for a conversation on how to make their campus and community better. It was like our Idea Lab at camp, but with a twist. We purposely left lots of space and room for collaboration between the people in the room. The hope is that the next time we meet we'll see the beginnings of a snowball effect that spreads compassion and creativity everywhere these folks go. They are from all different parts of campus, each attend different area congregations, are in different social clubs and organizations. We're trying to connect all of these people who have different circles of influence, but have the same heart: that God's love be spread.

We want to connect them to any of your projects. Need materials? people? resources? funds? prayer? Let us know. We'll see what can happen when we connect Christians from all over the world together for Him!

Keep going. 

Day 27

I was slower than normal getting today's passage up. Turned out to be a great blessing, though. Your emails asking me to post today's verse let me know that people actually want this. Nice to know you're missed when you don't post! Thanks for the enocuragement.

We have three more days of the 30 Days with Christ series. Don't know about you, but it's been nice to dedicate time - even if just a small amount - to reflecting on Christ's words. It's definitely given me a hunger to continue and constantly return to focus on what He has to say for my life.

Happy Tuesday!

Day 26

 

Toni Morrison, pictured above, is a Nobel and Pulitzer winning author.

She recently was given the chance to give a commencement address to a graduating class at a prestigious university. I caught the talk online and was deeply struck by what she shared. Having never read one of her novels (only knowing that she is one of the most influential living writers of our time), I didn't quite know what to expect.

She delivered a powerful call to action for the young people listening.

This excerpt is a must-read:

"I have often wished that Jefferson had not used that phrase “the pursuit of happiness” as the third right — although I understand in the first draft it was “life, liberty and the pursuit of property.” Of course, I would have been one of those properties one had the right to pursue, so I suppose happiness is an ethical improvement over a life devoted to the acquisition of land, acquisition of resources, acquisition of slaves.

Still, I would rather he had written “life, liberty and the pursuit of meaningfulness” or “integrity” or “truth.” I know that happiness has been the real, if covert, goal of your labors here. I know that it informs your choice of companions, the profession you will enter. But I urge you, please don’t settle for happiness. It’s not good enough.

Personal success devoid of meaningfulness, free of a steady commitment to social justice, that’s more than a barren life; it is a trivial one. It’s looking good instead of doing good."

What are you thoughts? We do live in a culture where being "happy" and living for ourselves is often valued over living a meaningful, selfless life devoted to something other than self. What can we do to help shape a different culture? How are you chasing after "doing good" instead of "looking good"? How can we lead people into living lives of meaning?

Don't settle for happiness. It's not good enough.

Keep going!

 

Day 25