The People You Meet Doing Neighborhood Missions: Sharon
Following Jesus Into His Peoples Faithful Lives
Sharon is an amazing person.
Sharon lived in the Poe Mill Neighborhood for about 3 decades before moving to live with her sister. She came faithfully to our church, Griggs, even if that meant walking in the rain once in a while. Other times she’d be picked up in the church van.
Sharon lost her husband to a heart attack almost 10 years ago. She has an adult son and an adult daughter.
On Wednesday nights, we’d take prayer requests. She would often ask for prayer for whatever needs she was facing. Once in a while, she would ask us to pray for her son, who was battling some serious challenges. So we would pray for him.
Sharon loved outreach. Every time we announced we were doing a neighborhood project, or throwing a block party, she would clap from her seat in the front row. Sometimes others would join her, and sometimes it was just her clapping. Either way, she was pumped.
At almost every service, she would go up to the worship leader and suggest a song. Her two favorites were Victory in Jesus, and I’ll Fly Away. She particularly loved I’ll Fly Away.
She loves to sing. So, when she was attending Griggs, she would get excited and just join the worship team on stage. Literally, on more than one occasion, she walked up to the front from her seat and started belting it out.
One year, at Christmas, we had a dozen or so people come on a Saturday to put up decorations. When the first week of January hit, we announced to the congregation that we could use some help taking down the Christmas decorations too. Sharon was the only one who showed up. She and I worked on taking down the decorations for about two hours.
We talked about her small hometown somewhere in Georgia, and we talked about her favorite southern phrases, some of which I had never heard.
Eventually, the opportunity opened up to live with her sister in the next town over. We were sad to see her go, but we’re glad she is next to family.
A little while after she moved, a certain young man started coming to church on Wednesday nights. He landed in my small group.
He was coming to church as part of his rehab program. As we talked, he told me he grew up right by our church. He was from the neighborhood! A few minutes later, he told me that his mother used to come here all the time.
That’s when I put it together…I was talking to Sharon’s son!
I told him how much we had apreciated his mom and how we helped her move out of his childhood house about a year earlier.
He came every wednesday until he graduated from rehab.
I have a feeling that his eventual presence on Wednesday nights was the answer to Sharon’s prayer requests she shared with us on Wednesday nights years earlier.
Sharon always showed up. Don’t take your ultra-faithful folks for granted. Jesus is with your Sharons.
Sharon is an amazing person.