Being a Christian is about doing

There are many stories I could share of faith in action, so this is just one coming out of our 41 covenant churches.

A few months ago I spoke at Sharpstown Baptist Church, giving a “moment for mission” on CCSC.

While at the church, I learned that Mike & Alaine Jeter (the pastor and his wife) had become aware of a small community of people living near the church who had needs. Instead of forming a committee to study the problem, they announced one Sunday that their congregation had an opportunity to help these families, and they were going to begin with tutoring the children to help them in school.

The first volunteers were Mike and Alaine. Each week, they and others go to this apartment complex to help the mostly elementary school-aged children with their homework.

On the Sunday I spoke, these children all sat with Alaine until children’s church began. It was obvious that a genuine affection had grown between them, and when I asked about it later, Mike said he and Alaine considered these children to be their grandchildren. Alaine has since begun a woman’s program to deepen relations between the children’s mothers and the women of the church.

Mike and Alaine are also active volunteers with CCSC as well as with other organizations connected to their church. While I know they use their voices to talk about their beliefs, it appears to me that a lot of their energy goes into “doing” and “being” Christians.

And it reminds me of the famous adage, actions speak louder than words.