The Ice Cream Man

Sep 29, 2024 | by The Fellowship

I just love being a part of The Fellowship and all the ministries that our church uses and supports to show God’s love to our community. Especially meaningful to me is the way The Fellowship encourages and trains our members to live our lives like Jesus would if He were living our lives.

One way we encourage and challenge each other is to show the love of Christ to those with whom we interact in the places where we live, work and play. Recently, I felt a desire to get acquainted with many more of my neighbors than just those who live directly adjacent to my home or across the street in our subdivision of single-family homes. I pray by name for these and have gotten to know them and to share my love of Jesus with them. But there are so many others who drive or walk by my house and I have no idea who they are.

By using an online tool called Bless Every Home, I can access the names of the owners of every house on every street in my subdivision.  It helps me identify and pray blessings for many nearby families -- but does not supply the individual names of those who reside there. My longing is for personal interaction so I can be someone to turn to when a helping hand is needed or for prayer when in a crisis or just a new friend for those who might be lonely.  Any of these opportunities would give me the chance to share the deep, deep love of our Savior.   

One of The Fellowship’s spiritual development courses is called Faith Walking. Here we learn how to go to the edge of our comfort zone ... and take one more step. So, I felt challenged to improve my neighborhood ministry.

The idea that came to me was to create an ice cream stand in my driveway on Saturday afternoons. I had a 2x5 foot banner made that says FREE ICE CREAM and mounted it to my folding table. Signs on my ice chest describe the ice cream types to choose from: ice cream sandwiches, flavored popsicles and ice cream sundaes, complete with flavored syrups and sprinkles.

My first Saturday out, I did not get many takers. Lots of cars drove by and the drivers waved back to me, but did not stop so I could meet them in person. There were a few kids who came and I enjoyed visiting with them ... and they certainly loved the free treats!

After several Saturdays, I was still having disappointing results with my ice cream ministry. Honestly,  I was becoming a bit disillusioned. I asked the Lord,  “Is this the right way for me to meet my neighbors and show them the love You so lavishly pour out on me?”

Then last Saturday, a gentleman stopped and asked if I would come to a neighbor’s house where they were hosting a birthday party for a young family member. He thought it would be a great treat for the kids to have this guy dressed up in my pink Ice Cream apron, white ball cap, popup tent, cooler and all my ice cream fixings to be at their party. So I agreed.

I was not at all sure if this is what I had in mind when I started this outreach, but it was certainly better than any results I have had to date.  So, I dragged my equipment and ice cream to a neighbor’s back yard where the kids were playing in one of those water bounce houses. When the parents gave the okay, the children were excited to line up and get ice cream treats. I especially like it when they choose the ice cream sundae option because then I can tempt them with the different flavored syrups and sprinkle toppings.

But the best part was that after the kids ran off with their ice cream, I had the chance to meet and talk with the neighbor and his wife for quite some time. This is exactly what I was looking for, a way to get to know new people, find out a little about them, and just try to be the best Jesus ambassador I can be. The Lord provided the opportunity to share with them about many of the ministries at The Fellowship and to invite them to church since they currently do not attend anywhere.

I think this is just the beginning of my neighborhood ministry! By knowing some new neighbors by name and where they live, I can personalize my prayers and deepen my conversations with them ... and invite them to family events at The Fellowship and help them get connected!

The Lord know the desires of my heart!  It is to be His ambassador and make Him known! I am excited to see where this leads as He continues to answer my prayers!

Be very careful, then, how you live … making the most of every opportunity.  
Ephesians 5:16