An online congregation making a difference locally — Celebrate Mission with SLIM

By Karen Newman, SLIM Pastor of Mission

Mission is a passion of mine, and one of the things I love about our SLIM family is how willing everyone is to help others. Sharing Love In Mission (SLIM) is a fully online congregation based in Chatham, Ontario, with members mostly from Canada and the United States, as well as a few from other countries around the world. A typical Sunday gathering brings 10–15 of us together on Zoom to socialize, share our joys and concerns, pray, worship, and talk about mission. We try to take on a mission project every month, and this summer gave us two wonderful opportunities to make a difference in our community.

For our July mission project, we decided to provide some much-deserved treats to our local first responders. I contacted each location to find out how many people worked there and whether they had freezer space so we could make sure there was something for everyone. On July 20, our Spiritual Advisor, Margie Lamoure, and I delivered almost 400 frozen treats and nine large fruit trays to Chatham-Kent EMS, Chatham Police, Chatham Fire, and the Ontario Provincial Police. Everyone was so appreciative — and surprised that we wanted to do this for them! It felt great to give something back to people who give so much to their community.

In August, we once again supported FreeHelpCK’s annual backpack program, which helps local families provide their children with the supplies they need for school. My original goal was to purchase and fill 40 backpacks. With financial support from the SLIM family, that original goal grew from 40 backpacks to 64, which I delivered to FreeHelpCK on August 13. I love watching our members get behind these projects, especially when a particular need speaks to someone and they decide to give a little extra to help us do even more.

I have always been someone who likes to help others in need, even when I didn’t have a lot myself, and I was honoured when I was asked to become SLIM’s Pastor of Mission a few years ago. Members bring mission ideas to our Sunday gatherings or contact me directly, and our pastors then talk about how we can respond and what resources we have available. As Pastor of Mission, I help turn those ideas into action by connecting with organizations, finding out what they need, and coordinating our projects. We may gather online from many different places, but we consider ourselves a SLIM Family, and together we keep finding ways to share love in mission.

Do you have a story like this one? We would love to hear it and share the good news with members and friends around the world. Send us your notes at [email protected], and our team will be happy to help you turn them into a story. Let’s Celebrate Mission together!