Luke 10:25-42 forces us to wrestle with the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

These verses in Luke teach us what it looks like to show mercy. If we take the time to look around us, we come face to face with those who are constantly hurting. Many of these are among our church body and all of us have experienced some form of deep hurt and injustice in our lives.

So, how are we to respond to these hurts, and more importantly these people? In vs. 27, Jesus provides the answer to that question. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” At The Journey we have stated it this way, “Love God and Love People.”

In conversations with community groups, city leaders, and neighbors over the last year Mission: St. Louis has been able to identify pressing needs within our city, and specifically with those near The Journey community.
We began asking questions in our neighborhoods, working with agencies and organizations throughout St. Louis to find out how we can come alongside those who are hurting and living in difficult situations.

These questions and the information we gained from these conversations led to the launch of Community Loop St. Louis. The mission of Community Loop St. Louis is to connect people so that they may develop relationships, share resources, and build community. Community Loop is an online database that stores practical felt needs in our city.

Here are the basics about Community Loop.

Website: communityloopstl.org

Why should we use it?
It is our hope that this would be a resource for community groups and individuals looking to serve and to foster relationships between “neighbors.”

How do I get involved?
There are 3 ways to get involved:
1. Become a Captain- captains are basically Project Managers, and oversee groups working on particular projects. In order to be a captain you must attend our training. The next training will be Feb 28th, at The Luminary at 1:30pm (rsvp to josh.kamer@communityloopstl.org).
We would like to have 2 people trained per Community Group

2. Volunteer- Anyone can volunteer.

3. Post a Project- If you know someone who may need assistance, or has a need, let us know. You can post these on the website.

Please consider connecting with our neighbors through Community Loop. If you are not able to join us in this endeavor, I hope you are loving God and loving people in practical ways in our city. After all, this the command of Jesus himself.