WHAT WE DO.
We do a lot of things. Sometimes, we make pancakes.
Being a college town, one of Auburn's predominant social mechanisms is its bar scene. Most Friday nights, the bars are filled until 02:30 am when state law forces everyone to leave. Judging from the size crowds that migrate to Waffle House or to some other restaurant open at those hours, alcohol and hunger share some odd correlation.
We saw this as an opportunity so those of us, who make up Love Is Free, began serving free pancakes on Friday nights from midnight on into the early hours of Saturday morning. It seemed that if people were hungry, a good way to love them, would be to give them free food.1
We are still surprised at the number and intensity of the questions we receive, most of them aimed at our motives. They create an opportunity for conversation. So every Friday night, we get to share the love of God with people. We get to talk about how God is actually gracious and slow to anger and very, very rich when it comes to love.2
Another opportunity for Love Is Free is the finals for Auburn University. At the end of every semester, students crowd into the library, overwhelmed, tired, and ready to be done.
We decided that we would serve them free coffee from 01:00 am, soon after the library's coffee shop closes, till 03:00 am. This allows us to meet their needs and desires3 with love, a similar endeavor to free pancakes, but a different demographic. Again, as people ask questions, we are able share God's love with them.
We don't just do outreaches though. Community is one of the most significant parts of Love Is Free. We believe that as we experience the love of God it should change the way we treat each other4 especially those who are closest to us. We want to create a place of love, encouragement, and empowerment, a place where ordinary people can become great. We are also trying to bring others into our community, even those who don't know Jesus or aren't sure He loves them, like that whole “go into the nations” thing.5 As we grow in relationship, we hope to speak truth into each other, disciple others, be apostles.
Those of us, who are a part of Love Is Free, also do normal things like shop, work, or go to school. We're starting to realize that these are opportunities also, that Christianity is not necessarily just about going to Heaven when you die, but also bringing the Kingdom of Heaven now.6 It's praying for a girl on crutches in the grocery store or loving your usual coffee shop barista, listening to their life, caring.
So we're starting to make the transition from doing ministry to being Christians.
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