What would happen if even a small fraction of the 350,000 churches in the U.S. opened their doors to their communities on a single day?
On May 16, Good Neighbor Day America will mobilize communities nationwide for a national day of service – creating space for the gospel to be shared in action.
According to the event’s website, “Good Neighbor Day America is a nationwide movement to inspire the Good Neighbor in every American through love, kindness and service. As we look ahead to America’s 250th anniversary, we’re proud to partner with America250 to honor this historic milestone. The nation’s most loved charities, faith-based organizations, churches, and businesses are coming together for a monumental day of service.”
Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, believes this is a unique opportunity for faith communities to live out what it means to truly love your neighbor, addressing mind, body, spirit and relationships, not just a single need.
Kim says the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” demands more than a single act of charity, describing what a holistic vision of service actually looks like.
“It’s one day a moment in time, May 16, but it’s a practice that reminds us of our posture,” Kim told CBN News. “Our posture is to love others so consistently, so creatively that we’re entering deeply into the world’s needs and hurts, hopes, and representing Jesus as the one who really can meet their deepest needs.”
Kim also highlighted how Good Neighbor Day America can encourage discipleship, not just outreach, forming Christians who are called to be the church, not just go to church.
“Sometimes we need to act our way into a deeper discipleship. Yes, we need to be listening to sermons, reading books, but sometimes one of the most compelling ways to deepen one’s discipleship is to actually do something that causes you to be stretched in your faith, maybe a little bit outside of your comfort zone.”
He added, “All of a sudden you find yourself praying for this day and then you meet someone and it’s not in theory anymore to love your neighbor. It’s actually now a person with particular needs. With a particular conversation, you might find yourself laughing with this person and all of a sudden there is a relationship that leads to opportunities to befriend and go deep in the ways that you could be a blessing to your community.”
Meanwhile, Kim encourages churches to listen to the needs of their community for service event ideas, focusing on simple steps that won’t just fill the need for a day, but build sustainable, long-term connections.
For more information on Good Neighbor Day America go to goodneighbordayamerica.com.
