What a Symphony!

 A conductor guides musicians in the orchestra to follow his lead.  Some strings are setting a harmonic mood, the percussion is providing beats and a rhythm, the brass provide the accents, and the woodwinds herald a  melodic tune.  They each have a part made for them, and individually they are practiced and played, but only as they follow the maestro’s cues and listen to each other do they transform the pages of notes to a living, breathing, unified creation.  The music produced is very similar to how God guides His church.  Each member has its unique purpose.  Some are louder, some blend in more, and some stand out as totally unique.  Others are almost overlooked completely though, without them, the work of the body is incomplete.  When God guides them all, the outcome is a work of art that amazes the senses and the soul.

What happens at Impact never ceases to surprise and amaze.  The month of March has its own kind of “March Madness” with the Annual Garage Sale and our two weeks of Spring Break activity that follows, yet God allows everything to flow smoothly making the experiences incredible for everyone.  We cannot thank West Houston enough for the time, energy, and resources they pour into the annual Impact Garage Sale at Trader’s Village.  The ladies who coordinate the pricing and placement of all the products basically camp out at the trading pavilion all week as truck loads of items continue to be brought in.   Impact’s Felton Benton takes the brunt of responsibility as he coordinates truck drivers to empty the warehouses and to pick up donations from individuals.    

Our Hispanic ministers carved huge chunks of time out of their week to shuttle groups of workers from the Impact building out to the sale and back to help set up merchandise.  Many volunteers and ministers from West Houston, Impact, and other congregations worked literally countless hours setting things up and selling at the event.  The other vendors around our sale are astounded at the amount of goods and workers.  It really is mind-boggling how so many workers are coordinated to handle such a crazy task of sorting through boxes of trinkets to get them ready to sale, selling furniture at a marked price and knowing when to stay firm or make a deal, AND present Christ to business owners and customers alike as they talk about what the Lord is doing in downtown Houston through Impact.  Many worked hard to make a successful sale, but still others added support through their donations of pieces to sell, through their prayer, and through their extra efforts to make things happen that no one could see or know about.

This Spring Break, groups gave up their vacation time to visit and work at Impact (with an emphasis on “WORK.”)  During the first week, while a handful was painting a neighbor’s house, others were painting walls and replacing a floor in the Teen House.  A majority spent the week putting on a Spring Break VBS for the kids out of school.  Whether performing skits, leading classes, manning activity stations, or being on-call for special attention, ALL gave 100% love and energy.  A revival of the Urban Plunge took a group of university students on a tour of Downtown Houston as a homeless person might experience it, going from the library to a soup kitchen to a hospital, and walking it in flip flops with a pack on their backs.  While faces were being painted on one side of the campus, walls were being painted on the other; while Bible stories were being presented in one area, lessons were being learned in others;  while hearts were being touched by service, eyes were being opened by experience!  The balance of buzz and activity came together in a perfect chorus of blessing and community that only our Celestial Maestro could orchestrate.  Thank God and all who came for a wonderful Spring Break 2010!   -Steven Wells