At Home Church Langley, we've been asking, "Who is in your elevator?" That is,
Who are you INFLUENCING for the good?
Who are you AFFECTING?
Who are you COACHING?
Who are you MENTORING?
Who are you TEACHING?
For whom are you setting an EXAMPLE?
WITH whom are you SHARING principles & promises of God?
Whose PROGRESS are you watching?
Who are you PROBLEM-SOLVING with?
Who are you PRAYING for and praying with?
Here are the "first fruits" of what some of the "Elevator People" at Home Church Langley are doing these days!
Story 1
There is a woman from HCL who has taken up the challenge of helping Karen young people find entry level jobs. She is helping them write their resumes, learn to fill-out applications, learn to complete on-line applications, taking them to interviews and helping them gain valuable volunteer experience in related areas (to expand their resumes).
This woman even volunteers at "McHappy Day" for one reason - to make a positive impact on the manager and help these girls get a foot in the door at McDonalds.
Please note that this story is not really about making money. It's about helping refugees participate in the Canadian job market. It's only an entry level job... but with a good work ethic... with continued development of English skills, the possibilities for this elevator to go higher and higher are very real!
Story 2
There is a kind man from HCL who has been helping a younger man (the unfortunate victim of a serious motor vehicle accident) to get rehabilitated and strong enough again to work 8 hours a day. He does this by taking the younger man to the gym on a regular basis. Together they lift weights and work up a sweat in order to get back to the place where the accident victim will be able to go back to his old job and work steadily again.
Story 3
There is a couple from HCL who believe very strongly that Jesus meant what He said in saying, "if we follow Him, we would become fishers of men." They believe that fish don't necessarily come to us, but that we need to GO where the fish are mingling about! They've dedicated every Saturday afternoon to go to the parks and libraries in Langley in order to meet new immigrants - with the express purpose to tell them The One Thing that's truly important.
They explain that for every car that's manufactured, there is a manual. God has manufactured us and has given us a manual to help us get the most and the best out of life with Jesus Christ as their Savior.
This couple believes that the only thing we can take along to heaven are other souls and so they load up their elevators with as many people as possible.
Story 4
There is a woman from HCL who has a neighbor who happens to be a single parent with 3 children. This woman has been praying for her neighbor to become a Christian, to come to church and to make various other improvements in her life.
Nothing much happened for a long time, but all of the sudden, the floodgates of heaven seemed to open up! In the space of just one month, this neighbor got her driver's license, a car and a full time position in a care home in White Rock with full benefits for her and her children!
The moral of THIS story is that not all elevator work is necessarily hands-on elevator work. Sometimes all YOU need to do is pray - and let God do all the heavy lifting!
Story 5
There is a man from HCL who is taking the time to meet with a certain young boy who attends KidZone here at HCL. Before each meeting, this man asks the boy's mother (who is a single parent) which areas currently need reinforcing with her son. Armed with that information, they go off to McDonalds and have a little meal... and talk.
Besides reinforcing key areas suggested by the mother, they talk about many other things, including the boy's many theological questions. There is also a focus on discovering areas of strength that God has created in the boy and a very practical focus on Canada's labor market and what job potentials there are ten years in the future. Plus they are making plans to work part-time and save money to go to university with RESP's.
A vision of the future has been painted that together they will celebrate his graduation from university and his first engineering job.
After the boy is dropped off at home, he always reminds the man that it is time to pray before they go inside.
Story 6
There is a successful businessman from HCL who has taken an active interest in the business progress of a small businessman. There is a coaching function, discussion of the future, and a search for solutions.
Story 7
There are several people from HCL who have been engaged in tutoring many of our Karen children, helping them learn English and math skills and achieve better test results in school. These Elevator People go to the Karen children's home on a weekly basis and their test results and report cards continue to improve.
Story 8
There are two men from HCL who have been teaching some of the Karen children and teenagers how to play drums and guitar. The fruits of their labors have already been seen when earlier this year a fine rendition of "Blessed Be The Name of the Lord" was given during Re-Gathering, to the delight of the entire congregation!
Story 9
Once upon a time, an old man was walking along the beach at dawn. He noticed a young man up ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up with the younger man, he asked what he was doing. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.
"But this beach goes on for miles and miles! And besides, there are millions of starfish!" countered the old man, "How can your effort make any difference?"
The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. "Well, it makes a difference to this one," he said.