A simple meal led to something extraordinary. Through small acts of generosity, neighbours came together, connections were built, and young people needing care received gifts of love and support. It all started with prayer. How might God use your kindness to spark something bigger in your community?
After the birth of our son in 2013, our church provided meals for two weeks, as Rebekah recovered from a very difficult delivery. Our neighbour across the road was recently in hospital for five weeks. When he returned home, my husband also cooked food for him for two weeks. In December 2024, our neighbour thanked us, telling us that he volunteers for a charity, looking after 16 children, who are aged 16–19 and have left care or were too old for foster care. Knowing we are Christians, he asked if we could get the local churches to help.
Two churches took part and two colleagues from Rebekah’s workplace. But what amazed us was the generosity of our neighbours. We knocked on the doors of 72 neighbours, giving them a little bag, with a Christmas card, a large Dairy Milk chocolate bar and a can of Coca-Cola or similar. There was also an invitation to come to our home for a Christmas party on 14 December and donate items to this charity. 14 neighbours took part! We were able to get to know our neighbours better, but also provided 16 boxes full of hats, socks, games, chocolate, books, etc. All 16 kids got a medium-sized box wrapped in Christmas paper and we had seven larger boxes left over with items that could be distributed to those who had not long left supported accommodation.
This all started with a prayer drive. We prayed seven times up and down our long street. Even better, our neighbour has now asked us to take him to church! Our love in action can serve as a powerful witness to our neighbours of God’s sacrificial love, bringing them closer to knowing Him and His desire for them.
Rebekah Brettle, Neighbourhood Prayer Network
Reflect
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. MATTHEW 5:13-16 (NIV)
Pray
Give thanks for the power of generosity to build connections and transform communities. Pray for those who have aged out of foster care or supported accommodation, that they would find hope, stability, and love through acts of kindness. Ask God to inspire you and your church to reach out to your neighbours and serve your local community with creativity and compassion.
Act
Acts for you to consider today:
| Share a kind message (card, text, email) with someone who might be struggling with poor health or loss of a loved one. | ||
| Cook an extra portion of your next meal and share it with a neighbour or friend in need. | ||
| Organise a meal rota with others to provide home-cooked meals over the next week or more for someone who is facing a personal challenge. |
Share
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About Neighbourhood Prayer Network
Neighbourhood Prayer Network aims to see every street in the UK covered in Christian prayer. It hopes to encourage as many Christians as possible to not only pray but get to know their neighbours. We live in times where with the click of a mouse, we can communicate halfway around the world, and yet most of us do not even know our neighbours living on our own street.
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