Last summer, Jean Priest felt a nudge to start a Neighborhood Lighthouse in Duluth, MN, asking her Pastor to serve as the Lighthouse Advisor. The focus of the Lighthouse is to pray for local law enforcement, including the County Sheriff, his deputies, and local city police. With the goal of connecting each officer with a personal intercessor, Jean calls the outreach ‘Adopt A Cop’.
Not realizing that it would be such a huge undertaking, Jean said that if she had thought about it all, she would have backed out! Now today, seeing the murders of so many law enforcement officers, she is thankful to have followed through.
Working hand in hand with the St. Louis County Chaplains program, the information was given to the different agencies, and she was thrilled when the first officer asked to have a personal intercessor. Wondering how to reach more officers, Jean sought advice from her Advisor who suggested that she make a bulletin with the information to be posted in the meeting room of each police department.
While she is waiting for more responses, Jean is building relationships with local law enforcement by taking homemade cookies and breads into the police department, and doing other acts of kindness. She even bought lunch for 3 officers at a Subway. Taking in cranberry bread on a return visit to the police station, Jean was thrilled to be remembered by the same woman who had met her during a previous visit. Jean was told that the officers were in a briefing, but the woman promised to bring the bread into the meeting and tell them who had brought it.
Jean was also excited to report that an Aglow Board Member was asking God for an officer to pray for when she met a St. Louis County Deputy and his wife at her church. When the officer was told about the program, he was excited to have someone pray for him.
Seek out creative ways to be known and to make the Lord known in your community. Simple acts of kindness like baking cookies for the police and fire department open doors for further relationships to be built.