One of the three rhythms that shape life at Arise is what we call Move Out, participating in God's mission across our city. It isn't an abstract value we put on a page; it has a day on the calendar. On the second Saturday of every month, we move out together to serve Dothan and the Wiregrass.
Let me tell you what those Saturdays are actually about, because it's one of the easiest ways to get a feel for who we are.
Not a one-off, a rhythm
Plenty of churches do a service project once a year, take the photos, and call it done. That's not what this is. Move Out is a rhythm, the same slot, every month, on purpose. We'd rather show up for our city faithfully and unglamorously, again and again, than make one big splash and disappear.
Whatever our Sunday Disciple Making Community receives during the week, encouragement, prayer, the Scriptures, each other, Move Out is where we carry it back out. A people who only ever gather eventually turn inward. We want to be a people who are gathered and sent.
What it's actually about
Serving the city matters to us for its own sake, we love Dothan, and love does something, it doesn't just feel something. But Move Out is also how we get to demonstrate the kingdom of God in plain sight and, when the door opens, say out loud why we do it: because the glory of the Lord is rising over this city, and we want everyone to see it.
So it's real work and real love with no need for credit, and it's mission in the fullest sense: serving, sharing the good news of Jesus, and inviting others into the same life.
Come to the next one
Here's the part I most want you to hear: this is one of the easiest possible ways to take a first step with Arise. No membership, nothing to sign, no big commitment. You just show up and serve alongside us for a morning.
Our next Move Out is coming up on the second Saturday, this month we're serving with Love in Action, meeting at 9:00 AM. If you've been looking for a low-key way to check us out, or you just want to do something good for your city with a few people who mean it, this is a great place to start. Text Pastor Brian and he'll give you the details.
Where it's all headed
None of this is a program we run to look good. It's part of something bigger: multiplying disciples across Dothan, people who follow Jesus, become like him, and do what he did, for years to come. A service project changes an afternoon. A rhythm of showing up, month after month in Jesus' name, helps change a city.
Come move out with us. There's room for you in this part of the rhythm too.
Pastor Brian