“Love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself.”

By Aaron Box
Restore Community Church

Regardless of any church experience, most of us are familiar with “The Good Samaritan.” Actually the Good Samaritan was a fictitious character that Jesus used in a story he told a religious leader of His day. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to describe what true religion is to look like – to care for your neighbor practically and sacrificially.

Just days before Jesus died, Jesus was asked a trick question by a religious fanatic, “Which religious rule is the most important one?” The question was intended to be a trap. Jesus’ response is beautiful, “Love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus repeatedly distilled religion into relationships and generosity to others. That is why the founding pastors of Restore Community Church focused on those things when starting Restore nine months ago.

“We aren’t perfect, but we are focused on joining Jesus in His mission, and following the example Jesus set for us.” says Ron Klabunde, a pastor of Restore.  For the past months all Restore’s energy has been focused on building healthy relationships and becoming a place where generosity is a way of life. Restore began their very first Sunday morning service by giving preloaded debt cards to every family who visited to empower them to be generous. Families were challenged to spend their 20, 50 or 100 dollars on someone they knew in need. Out of that first Sunday, incredible stories began to emerge with an 800% increase on the money Restore gave away. I consider myself privileged to be a part of what God is doing through Restore.

Since that first Sunday in October 2009, we have had numerous success stories: such as collecting and donating over a thousand pounds of food to LINK, a Herndon based food pantry. We packed more than 20,000 meals that were sent to children in abject poverty. The congregation provided over 100 local children food to eat over the week of spring break and collected 425 backpacks for local kids in need. Recently we sent over 1,300 clothing items along with hundreds of pairs of shoes and flip flops to children in Haiti who have lost everything. Currently Restore is working to provide 1,100 backpacks to Kids R First to assist the awesome work they do to empower local children who face financial needs at home.

What is most incredible however is what has happened to us as individuals. As we have come together to serve, the congregation has not only grown close to one another, but are being changed as people. Generosity truly becomes a way of life when you step out beyond what your church is doing, beginning to live generously as an individual. In the end it is the individual stories that move me deeply.

Such as the woman who found a single mom in need on Craigslist. A woman she has never met who was crying for help. This past week, the first woman began calling her network of friends, collecting supplies for this mom. Later today she will deliver the very essentials this stranger needed. Or that family that recently helped their neighbor get his small business off the ground. They gave their neighbor several hundred dollars to help him succeed. No strings attached or expectation for reimbursement, just generous hearts. Another family is currently helping their neighbor who is in a horrific domestic situation find freedom. They have arranged advocates and legal help, knowing all along they will probably foot the bill. Recently yet another family who faced tremendous financial difficulties gave sacrificially to their neighbor to help them avoid foreclosure. They literally gave to a point that it hurt in order to rescue another family from disaster.

These stories of individuals loving their neighbors because they were first loved by the ultimate example of generosity go on and on in the life of Restore Community Church. And within them is an important truth: a generous church on a mission with Jesus is nothing more than a group of generous individuals coming together on the same mission with Jesus. These stories of generosity as a way of living are the result of simplifying our religious efforts to loving God and loving people.

When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who gave sacrificially of himself to love an individual that others had overlooked, he was painting a picture of what our lives could look like. We aren’t perfect, but if you want to grow in loving your neighbors and in the process join Jesus in His mission, Restore would love to invite you to be a part of the story being written here in Northern Virginia.

About Aaron: Aaron Box and his family moved to Northern Virginia from the Oregon Coast one year ago to be a part of Restore’s efforts to transform lives in Northern Virginia. Aaron is a father, husband, outdoor adventurer and project manager and a follower of Jesus.

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Two members of Restore Community Church preparing to deliver Christmas meals to over 100 families in the Sterling and Ashburn area. Every 6 weeks, Restore partners with a different local non-profit organization, providing residents, businesses, schools, clubs, churches, and government offices the opportunity to fill their Generosity Can with goods slated for those in need. Currently Restore is working to provide 1,100 backpacks to Kids R First to assist the awesome work they do to empower local children who face financial needs at home.