Logan Earles – Littleton, Colorado … The Liberty Bell Cross Country Race was hosted by Heritage High School in Littleton, Colorado, September 9. Schools came from all over the state to participate in this 18-event race. Cars lined the roads for miles as spectators cheered on their favorite racers.

This was not a normal Sabbath for the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Situated just down the road from the starting line, Littleton Church had hundreds of visitors at their doorstep! When God brings people to your door, what do you do? You serve them. Littleton Church recognized that God was giving them an opportunity to do something great.

Early that morning, twelve church members beat the traffic and gathered out front armed with water bottles and a friendly smile. Their mission was to make sure nobody passed by the church thirsty. Shortly after the races started, they discovered another need was for easily accessible restrooms, so they opened the church and invited people in.

Throughout the morning, the volunteers struck up a conversation with hundreds of people while giving them water. Some had heard of the church while others didn’t know it was even there. One individual was thankful to discover an Adventist church so close by. She told the volunteers that she had grown up Adventist and was looking to reconnect with the Church. Praise God for His divine appointments!

Another thankful individual expressed that she was struggling to get over an illness. Prompted by the Spirit, a group gathered around and prayed over their new acquaintance. They prayed for continued healing and praised God for her ability to be there to support her granddaughter.

“Handing out water seems so simple,” said associate pastor Logan Earles as he reflected on the day. “The setup was quick and easy, but the impact is huge.” After three hours of cheering and handing out water bottles, the race was over, and the spectators and racers went home. Soon the parking lot filled again as the Littleton Church reopened its doors to those coming to worship God.

Although it may have seemed inconvenient to shift the service time, all who volunteered enjoyed their time. Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church had to be flexible in their service schedule, but they found that, because of this, they were able to be part of their community in a larger way. Members are already looking forward to how God will bring more opportunities to their door.

—Logan Earles is the associate pastor at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos by Tricia Treft and Steffanie Newkirk.