by Sherron Franklin

Is. 58:10 – “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”

Deut. 15:7 - If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

Northview and its members continue to reach out into the community to help serve, especially the urban community.In October 2008, NV started an urban outreach with Immanuel United Church of Christ by participating on Wednesday’s “Dinner With a Friend” service. A small group of volunteers give their time to travel to the downtown Indianapolis church to help serve meals for those in the neighborhood who are less fortunate.

Immanuel United Church of Christ serves food for the body and soul during Dinner With a Friend. The last Wednesday of every month, both churches gather for dinner with family, friends and neighbors. This is a free meal to nourish the body and to help build community in the downtown neighborhood. Friends and neighbors share music and even free haircuts. The church has a prayer service in the chapel to also feed spirits hungry for God’s care.

Northview Church member Matthew Welty says, “This is an extending of an arm and is important because of Northview’s focus is on Urban Ministry, and not only in serving at Dinner with a Friend, but the desired impact is to get people started to attend church on a regular basis.”

David Hessong, another Northview member and volunteer of Dinner With a Friend, said he started serving when his small group decided to volunteer and extend a helping hand to the service.

Northview Church understands the importance of Good Neighboring and sustainability. This is a church that believes serving is essential. At Northview, the church calls the outreach “Good Neighbor” because Northview knows that we are called to be a Good Neighbor at home, in our community, and globally. Northview believes that all Christians should live for Christ and not for themselves, by obeying God’s commands as found in the Bible. By yielding daily to the Spirit of God, every believer should mature and be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ.