Making an Audience an Army (for good)

This Easter many churches will do incredible things for their communities and many more will take time to reflect on the miracle that inspired the day. It was three days prior that a Jewish rabbi was crucified, when the grave was empty 72 hours later, it became evident that Jesus was the savior.

This post however, is not just about faith or religion, it is about a church doing the most good for the community it represents. A community that feels demoralized by the potential loss of its NBA franchise, a community that struggles with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. A region where home foreclosures are at record levels.

How do you take a community that is dejected and mobilize an army to make a difference? Bayside Church has a plan. The church, which has a well known motto of "you don't give to Bayside, you give through Bayside," is going to make a difference for the future on Easter Sunday.  One Day, One Event, Three Causes. Bayside will bring together its entire congregation, friends and others in the community that need a church to go to on Easter Sunday.

The goal of the service is not to bring an audience of nearly 20,000 together to make headlines. It is to bring a group of nearly 20,000 people together, show them a need and then give them the resources and knowledge to make a difference. This army of 20,000 will be tasked with helping the homeless, tutoring kids to read and bringing girls who were victims of sex trafficking into a safe home.

The reasons are simple. The homeless need warm blankets and socks. The number of prison beds needed for the future is often determined by the percentage of kids who cannot read at grade level in third grade and Sacramento is literally a crossroads for hundreds of girls who have been enslaved to sex.

Learn more about the event, the free shuttle and the causes by visiting Bayside's website and by watching the video below.

Easter at Arco from Bayside Church on Vimeo.