Blessing Our Neighbors Nearby

We want to tangibly demonstrate the uncommon love of Jesus, as individuals and as a church, to the diverse people of our city through generosity, compassion, service, and hospitality so that the Metroplex would experience rescue and renewal.

BLESS is an acronym for living an everyday life on mission.

Below are some tangible and fun ways to practice BLESS.

  • Begin with Prayer

    • Prayer Walk: Take a walkaround your neighborhood, work place, or school. Allow the Spirit to lead who and how you pray.
      Chain of Prayer: Host a 24-hour prayer time with your Home Group to pray for your colleagues, neighbors, and friends who don’t yet know the Lord.
      Fast: Individually or corporately fast with your Home Group for God to give you eyes to see who He’s asking you to BLESS.
      Prayer Request Box: Post a box on your office door or outside your cubicle for prayer requests.
      Home Group Prayers: Integrate prayer for your lost or hurting friends in your weekly Home Group meeting.
      Prayerful Drive: Use your drive to work or school to pray for the people you will be interacting with that day.
      Ask for Requests: Make it a practice to ask your friends and neighbors for their prayer requests. If comfortable, pray with them in the moment.
      Running List: Make a running list of friends who are hurting and in need of prayer. Post this list in places where you’ll see it and remember to pray. Ask God to open doors for you to help or ask others to help in these circumstances.
      Neighbors by Name: Use your neighborhood directory to pray for a few of your neighbors each day. Pray for opportunities to meet them and develop deeper relationships.

  • Listen

    • Diverse Experiences: Go to a local restaurant owned and operated by someone with a different cultural experience (class, ethnicity, generation, etc). Ask them about their experience and the story of how they began their business.
      Stories from Local Homeless: Leave for work or school half an hour early and strike a conversation with a homeless person on your commute. Ask them their story. Many in the homeless community just seek to be heard and seen.
      Local Store Employees:Talk to your local barista, waiter, and/or cashier. Ask them their names and about their day. Make it a point to address them by their names each time you see them, and ask a new question each time you see your new friends.
      Many Voices: Use your commute to learn about the needs of others. Listen to podcasts of people who think, look, and believe differently.
      Movie Nights: Pick a challenging movie, invite your neighbors/classmates/colleagues, and see if you can generate some discussion afterwards. Notice values that arise or are absent in the conversation.
      Home Group Guests: Invite a person who comes from a different background to come to your Home Group to share their story and experience. Ask them how they are best welcomed and what breaks trust.
      Cross Cultures: Participate in a cross-cultural experience (cultural festival, music/dance show, short-term mission experience, etc.) to hear and see different expressions of culture.
      International Neighbors: Become a conversation partner with a local international student or join IBC’s conversation hour as we converse with our international neighbors. Ask A Question »

  • Eat

    • Share a Meal: Eat dinnerwith a neighbor. Create space to share stories in your Home Group about the experience.
      Soup Kitchen Convos: Go to a neighborhood soup kitchen like Union Gospel Mission and offer to serve and eat with folks on a weekly/monthly basis. Go to www.ugmdallas.org/act/volunteer for more details.
      Eat with a Co-Worker: Ask someone who you don’t normally spend time with if they want to grab lunch together.
      Community Potluck: Host a community potluck where you invite your neighbors or coworkers over on a weekly/monthly basis.
      Pack Extra: Make two lunchesand eat with someone who is homeless.
      Be a Half Hour Hero: Eat lunch at the local middle school with an at-risk kiddo through SchoolWorks. Email [email protected] to find out how.
      Weekly Happy Hour: Grab some appetizers with co-workers after the work day, intentionally building relationships with them.
      Home-Cooked Meals: Ask different singles to come over for a home-cooked meal once a month.
      Progressive Dinners: Organize a progressive dinner party to introduce your neighbors to one another.
      Sunday Lunches: When you greet someone new during service, invite them to lunch this week or next.

  • Serve

    • Distribute Resources: Create homeless resource bagsto keep in your car for anyone you may pass on the way. Try to include a list of phone numbers for resources in your community, as well as non-perishable food items, water bottles, and non-perishable hygiene products.
      Handiwork: Offer handiwork help for our church body or with our local partners. Activities could include anything from carpentry, plumbing, painting, auto repair, or electrical work. Email [email protected] or [email protected] for ways to get involved.
      Ask About Needs: Ask a neighbor how you can tangibly meet a need of theirs this week. In particular, reach out to elderly neighbors who may need assistance with raking leaves or mowing lawns.
      Common Possessions: Create a common pool of possessions that you offer for others to borrow.
      Grow a Garden: Grow a local community garden and give the produce away to a local food pantry.
      Date Night: Give a friend and their spouse a date night by offering to watch their children.
      Unexpected Meal: Buy the meal or coffee of the person behind you in a drive-thru line.
      Spare Clothes: Sort through your closet and donate any second item you have that serves the same purpose. Donate to a local clothing drive or Christian Community Action.
      Extra Bedroom: Reserve a room in your home or apartment for someone who may be struggling financially. Give the space away for weeks or months at a time.
      Clean a Home: Bring your family or home group together to clean the home of parents with a newborn.

  • Story

    • Weekly Spotlights: Share about God’s work in your life this week when people ask you how you’re doing.
      Testimony: Tell your children about how you came to know the Lord.
      Blog Writing: Write a blog about how God is working in your day-to-day.
      Social Media Posts: Post about God moments on your social media accounts.
      Christmas Caroling: Go Christmas caroling with your family, offering to share your story and God’s through song.
      Open Mic Night: Write a song/poem about your story and share it at an open mic night.
      Snail Mail Stories: Mail a card to a friend sharing about how God used them to impact your life.
      Story Nights: Host a night of storytelling where you invite your neighbors to share their story. And then share yours!
      Watch Party: Invite your friends to watch a movie that resonates with your story. Share with them afterwards about how the movie reminds you of your life story.
      Pictures Worth 1000 Words: Use photography or art around your home or office to tell your story. When others notice the art, answer their questions and share more about your story.

Send us your BLESS stories

We'd love to hear and share them.

[email protected]