Common Ground
By Nicholas Blasquez
As a new Christian, I find myself experiencing God’s lessons daily. My week will pass the way it passes for all of us: ups and downs, beautiful moments mixed with challenges, routine along with unexpected little surprises thrown in. In short, a lot! Then I go to sermon on Sunday and in some wonderful way, everything I’ve been facing and struggling with makes a little more sense.
One thing I know for fact is these last couple years have been a whole new level of difficult for each of us. The thing is, these challenges are not meant to bring us into chaos, they are meant for us to find ourselves and to find each other, and how I found God. They are God’s way of showing us our way back home. For me, that has been Green Valley Community Church and the friendships I’m making with other Christians.
Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” It is a statement that rings true when we stop to remember the blissful feelings from that certain Sunday worship song, or the sensation of warmth we feel when a stranger has the care and courage to tell us God bless you.
To feel the power of God on a large scale, come on down to church any given Saturday morning to Common Ground, a free breakfast, grocery, and clothing closet for the community.
The free breakfast often served is bacon, eggs, potatoes, and all the coffee you can drink, brewed non-stop by Peter, who has been serving coffee here for the last eight years. When asked why, he said, “I don’t have to come here, I get to. No matter what is going on in my life, spirit starts filling me as soon as I turn into the parking lot.”
The volunteer staff fed 145 people. The elderly, people with limited incomes, people experiencing homelessness, anyone craving human connection and fellowship. Betsy of the Pastoral Partners said, “It’s hard to feel seen and heard when living in a homeless camp or behind Walmart. Here, you can sit with others and share your story with people who look you in the eye.”
Bruce, who oversees Common Ground, told me “For a lot of people, this is their church.” You don’t need to regularly attend church or even be a Christian. Here, everyone is welcome as they are. There is even an inspirational message and prayer before eating. Heather, a Prayer Partner and this morning’s speaker, told me about her Journey to God. How after a lifetime of Jesus “plowing up her heart” and planting seeds, one day they just sprang up and she began rooting herself in God. She leads a discipleship with her husband and picks up people who can’t make it to church otherwise. Heather is leading our Women’s Bible study on Wednesdays at 6 PM.
“The volunteer staff fed 145 people. The elderly, people with limited incomes, people experiencing homelessness, anyone craving human connection and fellowship.”
After breakfast, guests can take a stroll through the Clothes Closet, which is a miniature thrift store made up of donations from the community. It’s everything from clothes, blankets and toiletries, to kids backpacks and jackets. Full wardrobes for women, men, and kiddos. A coupon gets you 25 items and the volunteers even help you pick out the good stuff. Becky, a 9-year volunteer, told me they gave out 683 garments this morning. Helen has been volunteering in the Clothes Closet for 16 years. When asked about the best part, what keeps her coming back one Saturday after another, she said, “The people. Just loving on them.” She is a fit-looking 60 and when someone whispered to me that she’s actually 90 I had to ask her the secret of her vitality. “If you aren’t up and moving around, you’re gonna get old.”
Last is the grocery line. Visitors get a grocery bag packed with things like peanut butter, cereal, pasta, bread, and then get to pick their own fruit, veggies, along with milk, cheese, eggs, and meat. It’s all donated from the El Dorado County Food Bank and there’s a lot of it as well as fresh produce from our Green Valley Gardens
It’s the truest labor of love I’ve seen and it’s what has taught me what it means to be a Christian. Service with a heart full of spirit. As stated in John 4:12, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”
Every Saturday at 8 AM, Green Valley Church opens its doors to serve the community with free breakfast, conversation, groceries, clothing and some Jesus. Whether you come to serve or be served, all are welcome here. Volunteers serve from 7 to 11 AM
For more information contact communitycare@greenvalley.church