Saturday, September 19 offered plenty of sunshine and thousands of reasons to smile. For God’s glory, Jubilee Celebration 2009 succeeded in blessing approximately 1700 people in need. Also blessed were the over 300 volunteers from 17 churches in the surrounding south metro area. Thank you to everyone who came and everyone who gave of their time, efforts and resources!
What is Jubilee? It's a one-day celebration to honor members in our community who are in need. Through donations from individuals, corporations and other organizations, the Jubilee's goal is to provide much-needed relief to people who need help meeting some of life's most basic necessities. And it’s all done in the Name of Jesus Christ.
This year’s Jubilee was at a new location - previous celebrations were held at Christ Church in Apple Valley, the church that founded this event seven years ago. This year we were able to spread out and enjoy more space to serve and minister in the parking lot of the Apple Valley Family Aquatic Center. A big thank you to the city of Apple Valley for their partnership and generosity in sharing this great location with us!
The event wasn’t scheduled to begin until 10 am, but people began lining up in the early 
morning hours to receive their choice of seven blessings of groceries, toys, furniture, household items and clothing. People were also given the opportunity to get checked for glaucoma, receive haircuts and other service opportunities. Food and refreshment were freely given along with special treats like popcorn, sno-cones, cotton candy and cake/pop walks. There were gift certificate drawings offered for stores, services and restaurants. Special activities were available for children such as face painting, balloons sculptures, inflatable play structures, puppet shows and crafts. Throughout the duration of the event, we enjoyed the sound of worship music and The Heart of the City Worship Band honored the event with a special concert at the end. And, once again, all of this was FREE! Why? Because “freely you have received, so freely give.” Matthew 10:8.
There were so many exciting and wonderful aspects of this event that need to be celebrated. One of many was the constant flow of prayer that came from the Prayer and Evangelism tent. Many came and laid their needs before the Lord along with faithful people who love to pray. Another wonderful thing to celebrate is the fact this event was the collaborative effort of many churches from differing denominations coming together to serve and minister. What a powerful way to show the world that under Christ, we are united and that the Church Body loves people and longs to reach out and serve. By partnering with other churches, the Church (with a capital C) works as a body for the glory of the LORD!
Please visit http://www.jubileemn.org/Gallery.aspx for beautiful pictures that capture the essence of this event! (Special thanks to Wayne Moran for these photos!