The following excerpt is from "Care: Loving Your Church By Walking Through Life Together" by Dwayne R. Bond, published by The Good Book Company.

Several years ago, my church moved into a new building. As soon as we could, we planned an event that would allow us to introduce ourselves to the surrounding community. We were eager to demonstrate to our neighbors that we are God’s church, planted in the community to serve them. As the date approached, church members got excited about it, and a host of people made themselves available to serve.

The event was called Community Day. We invited neighbors and businesses in the community, friends, co-workers, and family to enjoy a time of free food, games, music, and conversation.

To help spread the word about the event, a small group from our church gathered on two Saturdays prior to the event to walk around the neighborhood, passing out flyers to people and business owners. Our hope was that we would have hundreds of people attend. Burgers, hotdogs, and sodas were purchased. Games were selected. Volunteers were assigned tasks. We were pumped

Finally, Community Day arrived. Although, in the end, we didn’t see hundreds from the community attend, there were a few visitors who unexpectedly showed up and gifted us with their unique presence. In particular, two women pulled into the parking lot and got out of their car. As they opened the door, it was quickly apparent that something was different about them. As I glanced at them, I noticed that the car was packed with clutter. I thought that this was odd, but I didn’t know what to think. I warmly greeted them and told them that we were glad to have them. In a matter of minutes, they made themselves a plate and were enjoying some of the burgers and hotdogs that we were cooking on the grill. As our people began getting to know them, it sadly became evident that they were homeless and living out of their car. It all began to make sense.

It didn’t matter that these women were wearing tattered clothes, living out of their car, and clearly in need; our church members sought to draw them into their conversations and make them feel welcome. God’s people were showing Christ’s love to them, serving them, and offering them sincere kindness. I thought to myself, Wow, this is our church! I was so encouraged to know that these women felt at home! What a blessing. We didn’t need hundreds to be present. We had the opportunity to demonstrate love and care for the people God had brought to us.

As the day continued, I saw Ms. Diana, a godly 65-year-old woman, talking to another guest who sat sheepishly in a chair beside her. It was clear that her confidence in herself was very low. But Ms. Diana was patiently talking to her like she was her best friend. Ms. Diana is a sweet, kind, and tender-hearted woman who would give the shirt off her back for anyone. As she sat next to this woman, I honestly wondered what they were talking about.

Quickly, the word spread among our church community that Ms. Diana was sharing the gospel with this woman, who was unfortunately homeless as well. The woman was listening to Ms. Diana’s every word. After a few minutes, I noticed that she was happily eating a burger and a hotdog while intently listening. More than 25 minutes passed...As they continued talking, I was praying and asking God to please save her soul and use Ms. Diana’s words and witness to bring her into the kingdom. Privately, our people began to pray for this woman’s soul. God, please save her! Please, Lord! As people served her more food and made sure that she had all that she desired to eat, I saw Christian hospitality at work. What a joy to behold!

Well, God saved her! Hallelujah! Shortly afterward, I was asked to come to meet her. When I approached her, I told her that I was so glad that she was here, and she smiled and said, “Thank you for having me.” Caring for this homeless woman as the event ended became the immediate priority of our church community. Where was she going to go from here? How could we make sure that she had what she needed and even a place to stay? Calls were made to find her housing resources. People prepared her a bag of food. Love was being poured out on our tattered yet beautiful neighbor!

Before I left to go home, I told her that she was more than welcome to come to our worship service the next day. She said, “I’ll be there.”

Honestly, I didn’t know if she would come. I’ve engaged with homeless people before and was skeptical. But on Sunday, as I was greeting guests at the door after the service, she came up to me smiling and said, “Thank you for having me; I enjoyed myself, and I’m coming next week.” My heart was so full. I felt tears welling up in my eyes... The love of God had moved through his people and was on display. By God’s grace, a soul was saved. The church family loved this woman who didn’t fit in, who wasn’t middle-class or dressed like everyone else. She started out as our unexpected guest but is now our sister in Christ. The unconditional love from Ms. Diana and our church family created a pathway for this woman to meet Jesus.

Please don’t think for one minute that our church is perfect. Or that things like that happen for us every week! But when a church loves and cares for one another, and then invites outsiders in, the world can experience something of Jesus’ love through his people.