EDITOR'S NOTE: David L. Burton serves as chairman of deacons at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield. He submitted Resolution 3, "On Loving Our Neighbor," at the Missouri Baptist Convention in St. Charles, Oct. 24-25. I was at the Missouri Baptist Convention this year and was ready for the debate during the resolutions portion of the meeting. I was ready to argue in favor of Resolution 3 on "loving our neighbors and in support of Missouri Good Neighbor Week (Sept. 28 – Oct. … [Read more...]
Will the real neighbors please stand up, Sept. 28?
The planning is almost over. It is nearly time for residents to begin hosting parties and doing good deeds for their neighbors as part of National Good Neighbor Day on Sept. 28. Some neighbors will be setting up a canopy in the yard in a few days, firing up the grill, and hosting block parties for their nearest neighbors. With all the rush of summer and a new school year underway, this is a good time of year to ask, will the real neighbors please stand up? A real neighbor understands the … [Read more...]
Put aside excuses, be a neighbor
Recently, I was told that people need a tangible reason for neighboring. Knowing that it impacts your health – for example -- could be one of those reasons. Plenty of research reveals the importance of face-to-face interaction on our mental and physical health. Neighboring is also essential to do something with others to make the world a better place. If you are civically minded but ignoring your immediate neighbors, that isn’t very honest. Still, others understand that Jesus commanded … [Read more...]
Five steps for creating a neighboring movement in your community, church
Now is the perfect time to encourage church members to demonstrate compassionate care to their neighbors. Good neighbors doing good works will lead to goodwill, which opens the door for good conversations! I often get asked how to motivate others to embrace the neighboring movement or create a neighboring culture. Here are five steps that I recommend to kickstart the effort. Step 1: Cast the Vision In difficult times, people often turn inward. Church leaders need to help members see … [Read more...]
Neighboring has benefits
How well do you know your neighbors? Can you name each of the neighbors that adjoin your property or apartment? Do you know a personal fact about each one? Do you speak to your neighbors? It turns out that less than three percent of Americans can say yes to all three of these questions. In the meantime, our culture is becoming angrier and much less forgiving. We are more isolated. Part of the reason is that we have forgotten the art of neighboring. It takes effort. It takes some … [Read more...]