Disciple of the Week Reflection: Becky Bruinsma

Reflection from Becky Bruinsma
I volunteered to be the Disciple of the Week after seeing the long line of unhoused individuals waiting outside the downtown Warming Center and overnight shelter. The image stayed with me and reminded me of the many challenges people in our community face just trying to meet their most basic needs. I had also previously worked with Rudy Naul through Good Shepherd’s Family Promise program, and those experiences deepened my awareness of the struggles unhoused individuals encounter every day.
 
I chose to donate specifically to the Warming Center because of my connection with Rudy and my respect for the tireless work he does to support the unhoused community. When I gave him the $278.33 from GSC, he gratefully received it and explained that the funds would be used to purchase milk for the center for about a month. The center had lost access to free milk from Channel One due to federal funding cuts, so this gift came at just the right time to help fill a critical gap.
 
This experience has been meaningful because it reminded me how many organizations in our community rely on donations to provide the essentials that most of us take for granted. It also opened my eyes to how even small contributions can meet very specific, practical needs—like milk for people who otherwise might go without. I’ve been inspired by the creativity and compassion shown by other congregation members, from individuals to entire families, in deciding where these funds should go each week. It feels powerful to be part of a multi-generational ministry where together we are living out Christ’s love in ways that are both simple and profound.
 
Prayer
God of immeasurable abundance, We give you thanks for the bountiful gifts you shower upon us. Gather us into the depths of your grace so that we may dwell in the love of Christ. Empower us to use these gifts to heal the sick, to feed the hungry, and build the church so all may experience the fullness of Christ’s love. Send us to the heights of joy as we serve others so that the mountains and the hills shall sing before you, and the trees shall clap their hands. To you be given honor, praise, and glory, now and forever. Amen.