BEing the church is still what God calls us to do today. But what does that look like? One day each week we will hear stories from within our Cross Creek community, of people who are taking intentional steps to BE the church to their community. This week we will hear from Jessica Becker and what BEing the church looks like in her life. She currently serves with Caring Choices Pregnancy Help Center. Here are a few questions we asked and Jessica’s answers:
Can you tell us what spoke to your heart about serving your greater community in this way? Was it the people you would be serving or maybe the cause itself?
Jessica: The initial thing that drew me to serve at Caring Choices Pregnancy Help Center was the idea of serving young single moms (their primary clientele). My brother was a single dad for years and my sister is a single mom. I also have a young lady that I’ve mentored for 12 years that lives in Illinois and I was really missing that relationship and hoped that serving at CCP could help fill that void.
Has this experience changed you at all? How so?
Jessica: I had been teaching parenting classes to young single moms and moms-to-be for about a year when Covid struck. I didn’t realize how fulfilling it was until Covid. I missed “my moms” a lot. I think teaching and being with the moms has made me more compassionate. I think of the moms often and as I said, I miss them a lot. I’m hoping to start teaching again soon.
Are there any verses that come to mind when you think about serving in general or serving in this way?
Jessica:
“look after orphans and widows in their distress”.
Many of the moms are without much of a support system and they are, most of the time, in distress. No one to lean on like a parent.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
I feel like the moms are “my girls”. I feel very motherly towards them.
Any other things about your serving experience you would like others to know about serving?
Jessica: Serving at CCP has been such a blessing to me. I’ve gotten more out of it than I’ve put into it. I was scared to step out of my comfort serving zone (church) but it was an amazing opportunity to step into something different and ever so fulfilling that the Lord had for me.