SERVE Brew

You may know them for their red light chicken mini giveaways, Reese’s Egg handouts, and $1 Car Washes. Austin Cooper and the SERVE team at Greenwood Baptist Church are seeing a revolution of lives being changed through “simple” - yet anything but random - acts of kindness. In this episode, Austin shares his personal journey in outreach along with practical tips for making a meaningful difference in peoples’ lives in your community. Stay tuned to the end for a story that will blow your mind. (Tissues are recommended.)

"What if we tried something crazy?" That's what Ps. Chad & Angel Dinkel and Haley Fremin (Purpose Church) are always asking themselves when it comes to serving the people of Baton Rouge. And their radical ideas and "YES" culture are leading to some truly impactful moments in peoples' lives both in their community and in their church. Their latest idea turned out to be a huge hit! Listen in to find out all about it!

Notes:

Follow them on social media:

Outreach is all about finding needs and filling them, finding hurts and healing them. Some of the greatest needs and hurts in our world today are happening within the mind.

While mental health is a massive need - it’s not always readily seen or recognized. So how do we identify mental health needs in our community? How can we respond? What if we don’t feel qualified or even know where to start?

Father/Daughter Duo, Ps. Toby Slough and Bailey Garner are here to help us navigate and respond to possibly one of the greatest opportunities to spread hope we’ve ever seen. It may get a little messy - but it’s a lot simpler than you might think!

Get the tissues, the notebooks, the coffee, and all the things.

This one is a GAME CHANGER!

Notes:

website:

Looking for ways to honor the heroes who have given their lives to serve others? This SERVE Brew is for you! On this episode, we’re joined by Conner Brew, who is here to share about his personal experience in the military and how that has sparked his passion for serving others. He’s got lots of practical serve ideas, words of wisdom, and inspiring thoughts to help us identify and tap into the gold of these great heroes who are all around us.

Conner Reccommends:

Hosting a Christmas Shopping Mall may sound like a daunting serve idea at first, but Ps. Rachel Erwin and Brianna Russell from Church of the Highlands/Montgomery Dream Center are here to break it down and show us the essential components that can scale to fit a church of any size, age, and location. It’s all about layers, intentionality, and personal touch.

Don’t miss this episode to get the inside scoop and learn all the musts to create a great experience for both your community AND your church!

Follow them @highlandsoutreach, @rachel_erwin, @briannanicole67

From "Light the Night", to winter warming stations, to fried turkeys, to the "12 Serve Days of Christmas" - this crew knows what's up when it comes to serving during the holidays. This episode is JAM packed with creative ideas to make a meaningful difference during the holiday season.  

Special Guests: 

Natalie Salinas - Grace Church Houston @gracelovestx 

Pablo Morales - North Charleston Dream Center/Seacoast Church @seacoastnorthchas 

Conner Brew - MVMNT Church @wearemvmntchurch  

When they discovered that children in their community in South Asia were being sold into trafficking - Ps. Mark and his family knew they had to do something to help.

What started with saying “YES” to rescuing five children has now turned into hundreds of children being rescued, receiving education, dreaming big, and worshipping Jesus. AND now, they’re seeing these precious children’s families being transformed, too! The cycle of injustice is being broken and a cycle of HOPE is being sparked!

Learn all about Changing Destiny ministry and their beautiful heart for the “one” that is behind all they do on this episode of the SERVE Brew.

Notes:

When the topic of anti-trafficking comes up, what do you feel? Passionate? Angry? Overwhelmed? Curious? Whatever you feel - Helen Taylor, Outreach Director of Exodus Cry, is going to meet you right where you're at. In this episode she shines a light on some of the great needs around us, how we can get to the root of problems, practical ways to respond both at big picture and grass roots levels, and ultimately how to see and respond through the eyes of Christ.  

Helen Recommends: 

SERVE Day 21 is happening THIS Saturday, July 10th. Tori Townley pops in to share about some fun updates to the SERVE App and all the things you need to know to have the best SERVE Day and beyond!

Don't forget to:

SERVE Day is just around the corner and we are anticipating some truly special moments as we spread the hope of Jesus with a world that’s hungry for Him.

Here to help get us ready, sweat the details, and show up ready to lean into the Holy Spirit is none other than Central Outreach Pastor at Church of the Highlands, Chad Sleeper.

Chad is a SERVE guru with tons of knowledge, wisdom, and a compassion that runs DEEP.

Be sure to listen to the end to get the 6 things on his SERVE Day Checklist!

Notes:

We are gearing up for a Summer of SERVING - and Tori Townley is here to get us "Prepped and Pepped" with all the things we need to make it a spectacular season! Tune in to this mini-episode to catch the latest resources, checklists, tips, tricks and more!

Zoe Church in Los Angeles is known for their creativity, authenticity, and compassion - and that culture that bleeds into the way they deeply love and care for the people in their city.

In this episode, we get to spend some quality time learning from our hero - Outreach Pastor, Tommy Luong, about all the things - including how to find confidence and security in what you do, being aware of the heartbeat of your city, and knowing the “gift mix” God has given your church.

Be sure to listen all the way through to hear about the special way they’re serving this Mother’s Day, too!

#SERVEbrew #Americano #ShakenEspresso #LosAngeles #GospelAndGroceries #ZoeChurch #Authenticity #Creativity #MiracleIsInTheHouse #MayIsForMothers

Ps. Tommy Recommends:

How do we know we’re really making a difference?

How can we grow our “giveaway” style serves into life changing relationships?

How can we refine our interactions with people to ensure dignity is at the core?  

How do we build a culture where the Holy Spirit has space to move?  

How do we align our vision to reach our community with the heart of our leaders?   

If you’ve found yourself asking any of these questions (or even if you haven’t) this conversation with Dr. Joe and Mrs. Kelli Carson is for you!   

We encourage you to pause & take a deep breath, invite the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart, and then lean in to have some fresh perspective, hope, and life breathed into you - from two of the most compassionate souls you’ll ever meet!  

Dr. Joe Recommends:

No matter what “limitations” you may be facing when it comes to serving your city this Christmas - there is ALWAYS a way to spread the love and hope of Jesus. Here to help us find that way - both practically and spiritually is Church of the Highlands Central Outreach Pastor, Chad Sleeper.   

From online shopping to magical drive thru experiences, Chad gives us all the tips and insights on how to build an atmosphere for families that is FULL of the hope of Jesus.   

• “Sweat the details.”
• “Take your time.”
• “Say lots of ‘yesses’.”
• “Break some rules.”
• “It’s all about presence”  

Supplies needed for this episode: 

1. Coffee 
2. Notebook 
3. Box of tissues!!  

Notes: 

After battling addiction throughout his youth, Brendan McDonough found sobriety when he joined his firefighter crew - the Granite Mountain Hotshots. However, Brendan tragically found himself the sole survivor of his crew after the Yarnell Hill Fire swept through Arizona in 2013. This horrific loss left him with unspeakable pain, PTSD, and sent him spiraling back into addiction and he even considering taking his own life.   

But God got a hold of Brendan’s heart. Through his family, local church, and community leaders and friends, Brendan found hope, healing, and purpose. Since then Brendan founded Hold Fast Recovery Ministry where he and his team are helping men get free from their addiction. For Brendan it’s not just about a successful program - it’s about being a shepherd, it’s about helping people dig deep, to learn to dream again, and helping them learn to know God’s voice for themselves.   

With an 80% success rate, Hold Fast Recovery is a game changer for those who are ready to overcome addiction. And Brendan’s humble and personal leadership style is at the heart of it all.   

Whether you’re a church looking to help those with addictions, have a loved one who is in need of help, or an individual who wants to know how to serve and support those in this fight - this episode is for you.   

Get your “stale coffee” and some tissues and hit play.   

Notes:  

Amanda Martell was 26 years old when she was first told about Jesus and began living for Him. But there has been ZERO time wasted as God has redeemed her past experiences of poverty, abuse, and wandering - and He’s transformed her pain into a compassion unmatched.

When she met Jesus, Amanda found her PURPOSE. And now she's helping others find theirs, too, as she oversees outreach at Journey Church all across Palm Beach County, Florida.  Their creativity and enthusiasm is through the roof when it comes to serving others. And it all starts with asking “who can we love?”  

Tune in to this episode to hear all about the “Secret Sauce” that these guys have cookin’ up. It will blow your mind!  

Notes: 

Having a "Can Do" spirit is at the center of Sherise Holden's powerful testimony and ministry. When she became a single mom in high school, she faced many challenges. But God guided her through it all and now she's using her experience to help young single moms in her own community and all around the country through her non-profit, She Rises Inc. If you have a dream in your heart to change the world, but aren't sure how to do it - take your advice from Sherise because "success leaves clues."    

Notes: 

“It was like a splash of color in our black and white world…” Izabella McMillon’s life was forever changed when she received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. In this episode, she shares her powerful story of how God broke through every boundary to reach her heart as a child growing up in Romania and then set her on a path to knowing and serving him for the rest of her life. 

Then she along with the brilliant Andy Hein, Manager of National Church Relations, share with us how WE can be part of writing stories just like Izabella’s in MILLIONS of children’s lives all around the world. Whether you’re a church, small group, or individual - this opportunity is perfect for you. It’s meaningful, it’s personal, it’s simple, it’s social distance friendly, and it has the potential to change eternity for countless children, families, and entire communities. 

So hit play on this episode then head to samaritanspurse.org/occ to get started. 

Notes: 

On this SERVE Brew, Tori Townley pops in to share some special thoughts as we gear up for the holiday season. What do we need to be considering in light of social distancing? What do we need to be focusing on? WHO do we need to be thinking about? Whether it’s pumpkin drops, turkey giveaways, or Christmas shopping malls… there are common themes to be woven throughout our holiday serves and we’re excited to share a few of them. So get your pumpkin spice latte ready and hit play. 

Notes: 

Are your SERVE efforts growing? Are you navigating how to help your outreach grow and expand well? Well Bayside Community Church has been at it for over 18 years (like they were serving their city even before their first church service!) and they've mastered what healthy, sustainable, growing, and FUN outreach can look like.

In this episode, Ps. Matt Moore (Executive Director over Missions and Outreach) and Beth Loveless (Central Outreach Coordinator) sit down for coffee (and espresso:) with us and share about the vast outreaches they're doing across their state and how they're both supporting and empowering their campuses and leaders to make a difference through three outreach buckets.

Andddd be sure to stay tuned to the end to hear a break down of their latest outreach - the "Hurricane Prep Kits" and get all of the "how to's"

Notes:

• Follow them on social media, @mybaysidechurch, @psmattmoore, @bethloveless

• Find them online at https://mybayside.church

What inspired COOL Church to throw a “Homies Birthday Celebration” for people living on the streets in Miramar, FL? Well, first you have to hear their WHY. This church is all about loving and cherishing people, giving their team space to dream, and trying out creative ideas. Their whole culture is a celebration of life!

So get your coffee and jump in to hear from Ps. Johanne Wilson and Mitsy Nieves about the why and then the how.

Notes:

LA Dream Center's Short Term Missions Director, Taylor Wilson, transports us straight into the City of Angels. He shares a bit of his own journey and how he found himself serving at the Dream Center. He then paints a beautiful picture of what short term missions at the DC is all about - and gives us a glimpse into the sort of impact we can expect through being part of this experience. Not only do we get the chance to help impact peoples' lives, but we'll also find opportunities to gain fresh inspiration, strengthen our teams, and leave with new insight to bring home to our own cities.   

Notes:

Ps. Shawn McGill of Lifepoint Church in Louisville, KY and Ps. Kevin Lucas of Trove Heights Church in Nashville TN are both in the pre-launch phase of their church's journeys. But they haven't waited a second to jump fully in and start serving the people in their cities. Check out this episode to hear all about how they're laying a foundation serving and building a culture of kindness in their community from (even before) Day 1. They talk team building, finances, strategy, vision, and their own personal keys to leading during such a time as this.   

Notes: