Everyone deserves to be seen with the eyes of love.

Creating partnerships and connecting with our local community is important to our church. This month we had a unique opportunity to say thank you to the teachers and staff at the local elementary school that we support with our mobile food pantry twice a month. But providing food staples to families in need is not the only way we’re connected with this school; we also collect donations for school supplies and Angel Tree gifts, volunteer as mentors and pray for the families and staff.

Over the past four years, while our connection with this community has grown stronger, we have had limited contact with those we are in partnership with. As are only half of this partnership, we recognize the crucial role teachers, counselors, administrative, custodial and support staff play in the healthy growth and development of children in our community. So, on a recent staff in-service training day, we brought in lunch from Chipotle to say thank you. It only took four sets of hands, a little over an hour and some boxed-up catering to let this group of nearly one hundred members of our Northern Virginia community feel seen and loved.

Being the church by building relationships, demonstrating kindness and saying thank you to teachers.

If you would to learn more about how to get involved with our mobile food pantry mission or other ministries with Cunningham Park Elementary School, please contact the church office. See more pictures and stories from our lunch on the ACUMC Facebook and Instagram pages.