By Michelle Key
Publisher
Last Thursday night, Way 2 Serve Ministries held their annual ‘Support Dinner.’ However, this year’s event was a bit different. It was conducted as a virtual event with small groups meeting in the homes of people who volunteered to be hosts for the night. Founder and Director Shane Kyles and Way 2 Grow Coordinator Joseph Murray spoke to the community via a live-streamed online event.
This year’s theme was “Serving Well.”
“We hope this season that you’ve kind of found a rhythm with everything that has been going on,” Kyles said. “We hope that you have found a rhythm of serving well. Serving well is really the heartbeat of the Way 2 Serve. We don’t like to just serve, but we love to serve well.”
Kyles gave an overview on ways to serve.
“We feel like when we go out and help people with practical needs, when we go out and share the love of Jesus, the main thing we need to be doing is to point people to the way, which is Jesus,” he said. “That is the mission of Way 2 Serve. The vision of the organization is to serve together in order to unify and grow the Body of Christ.”
Being called to ‘Serve Well’
Way 2 Serve Ministries is broken down into two areas of service. The first is building relationships and the second is working with needed projects, both of which benefit people being served.
Kyles went on to break down those two different ways to serve into five different categories:
The Way 2 pray: without prayer nothing happens. Way 2 Serve has a prayer team. Within the team are prayer captains who are assigned to neighborhoods within the community. They pray specifically for families, needs and areas of ministries within that community.
The Way 2 grow: focuses on building life-changing, long-term relationships. A team approach is used to grow or build these relationships. Community captains, individuals from within each community, connect with other members of the community to influence them to build relationships.
“We are blessed to see God write beautiful stories of unity and change through those relationships,” Murray said.
Weekly “grow groups” provide opportunities and guidance to the young people in the communities.
The Way 2 prepare: This is a way to serve behind the scenes to make sure the group stay prepared for all the aspects of ministry. Volunteers can use their administrative and technological gifts.
The Way 2 build: This is where home repair projects are done. My Jerusalem is facilitated through The Way 2 Build. The next My Jerusalem is scheduled for Sept. 19.
“One of the high points is getting a group of men and women together and working on something that is meaningful to get something done and to help someone,” said one of the site leaders, Larry Murphey. “Serving together builds relationships and also helps them experience the joy of serving. A lot of people don’t know what service looks like.”
The Way 2 give: Murray presented different levels of monthly support that will help Way 2 Serve continue to provide services in the community. Monthly commitments at the following levels can provide many opportunities to serve:
- $15 provides relationship-building materials
- $25 provides recreation equipment
- $50 provides snacks and drinks during various events
- $75 provides bibles and other study materials
- $100 provides support for a block party within a community
- $200 provides for life-changing trips and other events.
Payments are accepted through Venmo, CashApp, through the website (theway2serve.org/donate) or by sending a check. Checks can be mailed to:
The Way 2 Serve
P.O. Box 1665
Opelika, AL 36803
Several videos were included as part of the virtual event and those watching were tasked with asking themselves to find their ‘Way 2 Serve.’
“Building relationships obviously requires time, but relationships are very important,” said a volunteer, Geneva Williams. “They were important to Jesus so they should be equally as important to us.”
“The most important thing in serving on the projects is not the knowledge of construction but the willingness of the heart to serve others,” said Mike McGinty, another volunteer.
“We really hope that you have really seen your way to serve,” Kyles said. “But if you haven’t, we still would like to help you find that. That is what we do all the time, help people to serve well,” said Kyles. “What is your Way 2 Serve?”
To learn more about The Way 2 Serve visit www.way2serve.org.