What does it mean to be a loving neighbor today? God has placed people around us and along the roads of our lives for many reasons. For believers, a few of those reasons are to allow our lives to be a shining example of what it looks like to live by faith, to show Christ-like love, and to lead others to Him. Let’s be honest, getting to know people beyond our inner circle can be uncomfortable. How do we love our neighbors as God would have us to? How can we expand our circle and really do life with the people on our “roads” like Jesus did?
Loving your neighbor starts with knowing your neighbor.
When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)
How are you doing with that second part?
Many of us often go about our days, going to and from our homes without ever knowing our neighbors’ names. Often, our social lives take place heavily online or through text. So, what do we do to change that? How do we live this out? Well, when we truly live by the first greatest commandment, it is easier to follow the second because God’s love does a beautiful work on the heart… Our capacity to love others as ourselves comes more naturally. The “how” becomes more apparent, but it never hurts to have more specific inspiration and direction!
This guide exists to compel you to live out the second greatest commandment with intentionality and “open doors”, and to offer practical steps on just how to love your neighbor. We were made for community—so, let’s live like it!
Download Booklet
Ways to Serve
- Donate to your local co-op or food pantry.
- In your small group, or with your family and friends, collect some of the most needed items as a team and deliver the donations to your local co-op.
- Each co-op has a list of their most needed items as well as the days and times that they accept donation drop-offs.
- Download list of co-ops near our Victory campuses
- Write thank you cards for your local school staff.
- Send a general thank you card to schools near your neighborhood.
- This can be an email, or handwritten cards mailed to individual teachers or to the entire staff of several schools.
- For the Gwinnett, Fulton, & Cobb counties. Please view their district website for school address, faculty list, and faculty emails. You can access the county websites by clicking on the county name.
- Please include an Easter invite card with our service times and locations with the card(s) you send. The Easter invite cards are available for pick-up at the One -step area after each service.
- If you don’t have an invite card, please include the times and locations for our Easter services in the thank you card(s).
- Click here for Easter service locations and times.
- Clean up around your neighborhood.
- This can be an organized activity for your groups.
- Each participant should be equipped with a trash bag and gloves for sanitary purposes.
- Please be extra careful when handling hazardous materials.
- Contact HOA/leasing office to coordinate.
- Please take some Easter invite cards and invite your neighbors to one of our Easter services. The Easter invite cards are available for pick-up at the One -step area after each service.
- Click here for Easter service locations and times.
- Take desserts to local first responders.
- Baked goods make a great treat!
- Please refrain from baking goods yourself. This will help to ensure that all foods are safe and ingredient lists and nutrition facts are readily available.
- Please take some Easter invite cards and invite local first responders to one of our Easter services. The Easter invite cards are available for pick-up at the One -step area after each service.
- Click here for Easter service locations and times.
- Host an Easter watch party.
- Sign up to Host
- Attend the Watch Party Informational Meeting on Sunday, March 17, at 1:00 pm.
- Location: Victory Norcross campus, Emancipating Greatness Wing, Room 1 OR Online via Zoom
- Zoom link will be sent after step 1 sign up is completed.
- Invite friends, family, and neighbors to your watch party through face-to-face and/or electronic communication.
- Click here for party ideas!
Don’t forget to snap some pics while you’re out serving and share them with us using #wearevictory!