Ramona Weber, President of, the Des Moines, Iowa Community Lighthouse, spoke with someone at Headquarters and wanted to share some of the creative ideas her team is using to reach out into the community. We thought we should share her ideas with you.
Ramona said, “We like to think out of the box and in some ways, go undercover, blending in, yet standing out.
For the last seven years one to two times each summer we gather at a very popular lake. It's a place where people go to jog, ride bikes, swim, children play, and some people even train for triathlon-type events. It’s very busy.
We set up back from the trail a little way and asked people as they passed by if they would like a free bottle of ice-cold water. Many say yes and as we hand out the waters we ask them if there is anything they would like prayer for. We simply want to show the love of God to people in practical ways.
We also visit one of the local care facilities two to three times each year. We gather small gifts to give to the residents. As we hand out the gifts, we always ask if they would like prayer. The people are delighted and not only do we pray for them, they pray for us, too! It is a wonderful time reaching out to an often overlooked people group.
In downtown Des Moines, there is a ministry called The Beacon that reaches out to women who have suffered domestic abuse or who have just recently gotten out of prison. We usually partner with them at Christmas time, dropping in to share God’s love in different ways and to pray with them. It is always a wonderful time to show the love of God to those who are reconnecting with society. We want them to know that all things are possible because of God.
This coming September 9th at my local church we are going to put a sign out on the side of the road reading “Need prayer? Turn in!” We plan on praying for people's needs and sharing information about the church, Jesus, and salvation, and answering any other questions they may have. (This is something any Aglow group can do!)
Ramona said, “As I retired from my job of many years, I distinctly heard Holy Spirit say, ‘You are not to retire, you are to refire!’ And that is what I have done.”
The Lord has said to Aglow that our greatest days are not behind us, they are ahead of us! All around your community people are waiting to hear the Good News and to be shown the love of God. You can do this, Aglow!