I Cared Enough is an intentional community outreach of our amazing Jesus partners, Daniel Cason Ministries. Through the collaboration of hundreds of Jesus loving people and a leadership that is sold out to Jesus every hour of every day, the I Cared Enough Thanksgiving Outreach has been happening for 18 years. Can you believe that??!! 18 years of sacrifice and faith rides of trusting and waiting on God and Him showing off and providing everything needed every single time. That’s who God is. Many of us may know that, but do we wake up and live in that trusting capacity every single day?! If we don’t, we are missing out on the fullness of Jesus.
Daniel and Gwen Cason are two of the most precious Jesus loving people you could ever know and being able to serve Jesus alongside them is a real treat. Daniel plays the piano in the most incredible ways, true worship to Jesus, and he could have gone big and been famous, but instead he makes a choice every single day to make Jesus famous. Gwen is a kind and loving friend to all and she always has a hug and a smile no matter what she’s got going. I love how they know kids by name and they invest in people for the long haul, giving their life so that one more will know Jesus. Their love for Jesus is straight up contagious.
We love sharing food with Daniel Cason Ministries and if they will come every week, we will give a load to them. They are in the trenches with people who need food, not only for their bodies but also for their souls. And like Grace Klein Community, the Cason’s believe relationships matter and introducing friends to the ONE relationship that matters most. What a friend we have in Jesus!
Fast fact: the Daniel Cason Ministries shares their abundance of toiletry items with us and God has used their giving to meet the needs of hundreds of families that volunteers serve around Birmingham. When we live open handed with one another, come ask us what God can do!
For a few years we have shared from our abundance for the I Cared Enough Thanksgiving Outreach through clothing, food, prayer. But this year, God allowed us to help with clothing, groceries, pickup/delivery of food, inviting in new volunteer teams, prayer support and a general “what’s mine is yours” linked arms, we are with you, partnership. God blessed our socks off as we saw God provide money for non-perishable food, community volunteers sign up to prepare hot food, Motivated Movers loan two trucks and four movers, Command Alkon send a team of volunteers, some girls in recovery come help unload and load canned food, one of our partners donate a truckload of bananas that we were able to share, and on and on… God did it!!
The absolute delight was hearing that 400 people came to know Jesus from the 3000+ people who were served. Do you know what can happen in Birmingham if those 400 new Jesus followers start living as followers of Jesus. Love is about to spread. Forgiveness is going to happen. Lives are going to chance. And if those 400 people introduce one person to Jesus in the next 12 months, the impact of I Cared Enough will immediately double. Do you see what could happen to our Birmingham?!!
If you want to join us with I Cared Enough for 2019, start praying. Pray for God to move mountains and to tear down every obstacle that comes in the way. Pray God will send people who do not know Jesus. Pray for provision of all the food served that day and the groceries that are also given to attendees. Pray for God to be so in front of the outreach that every rough place is made smooth and that before anyone can ask, the needs are met. We are praying for more to come and experience the grace of God and the beautiful reality that Jesus came to be our Savior and our Lord.
We trust God will allow us to partner with Daniel Cason Ministries in 2019 and as their faith inspires us, we pray our faith will inspire them. Every week we will be committed to continue spurring one another on to love and good deeds. As Daniel would say, “GOD DID IT.”
