One thing we're sure of is that we all love our city, Fort Wayne. But how can we come together to make it even better? In an inspirational chat with Pastor Quincy McGee of Lifeway Bible Fellowship and Associated Churches, we find out. Raised by parents who dedicated their lives to the community, Quincy carries on their legacy, highlighting the importance of unity, compassion, and collaboration.
Quincy passionately shares about the significant role his church plays in the local community. With heartwarming stories of helping neighbors with repairs or participating in local school activities, he exemplifies the essentiality of community engagement. Housing, hunger, and mentorship for mothers are urgent needs in our community, Quincy calls on the churches to step up and help fill these gaps.
We don't stop there, we go further to explore how different churches can collaborate to serve the wider community. Quincy spills the beans on some impressive initiatives led by Associated Churches, from adopting military families during the holidays to the Rising Stars program. He presents simple steps for churches to be more engaged, such as mentoring mothers, providing meals, and participating in food drives. Join us as we learn about commitment, wisdom, and genuine care for those in need. Tune in, Fort Wayne, let's create a thriving community together.
One thing we're sure of is that we all love our city, Fort Wayne. But how can we come together to make it even better? In an inspirational chat with Pastor Quincy McGee of Lifeway Bible Fellowship and Associated Churches, we find out. Raised by parents who dedicated their lives to the community, Quincy carries on their legacy, highlighting the importance of unity, compassion, and collaboration.
Quincy passionately shares about the significant role his church plays in the local community. With heartwarming stories of helping neighbors with repairs or participating in local school activities, he exemplifies the essentiality of community engagement. Housing, hunger, and mentorship for mothers are urgent needs in our community, Quincy calls on the churches to step up and help fill these gaps.
We don't stop there, we go further to explore how different churches can collaborate to serve the wider community. Quincy spills the beans on some impressive initiatives led by Associated Churches, from adopting military families during the holidays to the Rising Stars program. He presents simple steps for churches to be more engaged, such as mentoring mothers, providing meals, and participating in food drives. Join us as we learn about commitment, wisdom, and genuine care for those in need. Tune in, Fort Wayne, let's create a thriving community together.
We're excited to launch season three of the Love Fort Wayne podcast. The Love Fort Wayne podcast connects the stories of leadership happening in northeast Indiana to imagine, inspire and ignite transformation in leaders, 20 to 25 minutes at a time. I'm Jeff King, ceo and Executive Director of Love Fort Wayne. At Love Fort Wayne, we know that the pillars of a flourishing community are its schools, its leaders, churches and families. Join us as we learn from leaders across the region on how to not just lead but love our city. Welcome back everybody. This is Jeff King, ceo of Love Fort Wayne. I'm with my guy again, mitch Cruz. What's up, mitch? How you doing? I'm good man. It's good to be with you. As always, we're excited because we've got a friend of ours personally with us today, pastor Quincy McGee, lifeway Bible Fellowship, also associated church man. You wear a lot of different hats, don't you? You do. You know it too, don't you?
Speaker 2:Hey, it just come my way. I'm not searching for it, not looking for it, just happened to fall on my lap.
Speaker 1:That's right, it's Dr Quincy. It is, it's Dr. Yes, congratulations.
Speaker 2:Something like that. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this has been a big year.
Speaker 1:We had some cool conversations about you finishing up earlier this year, but again we're excited because Quincy's here and he's going to share a little bit about what's happening with the ministry at associated churches.
Speaker 1:But so much more. There's so much more, especially as we near the end of the year. They've got some great things happening in this city but, quincy, you've got a heart for our city and the people of our city and seeing unity within our city, seeing the church become the church in our city, as pastor, but also within your role at associated churches as well. So we just want to dive in and just talk about first some of the things that you all have going on at associated churches as an encouragement to folks to be mindful of it, especially in the holiday season. But again, just some dialogue about how we can come together to love our city as one, or for you to love your community and your city wherever. You are listening to this podcast today. So tell us a little bit about what's going on with you, how you've been, and then also what's been going on at associated churches here in Fort Wayne.
Speaker 2:Oh, personally I'm doing well. My daughter, my middle child, just had a birthday, 30 years old on Saturday. So I'm getting older. It flies by. Things hurt that I didn't know could ever hurt. Older but better Doing good. I've been my wife approaching 30 years old, so I'm just celebrated 15 years of pastoral ministry and things going well.
Speaker 1:I love that man. I love that I've mentioned I got a chance to spend I reflect on this a lot actually as I meet with younger guys but I got a chance to spend over a year with Quincy man. That's already been probably two years ago three years ago and some grace relations work Me Quincy, tabitha, irvin and Josh.
Speaker 3:Chris Law.
Speaker 1:Yeah, chris Law, david Abbott, David Abbott. Who else? Matt was with us.
Speaker 2:I mean, we just had a cool Matt Bruce.
Speaker 1:Yes, he was with us and we just had a cool crew. If you listened to the podcast a couple of months ago we had Angelo Monti, who Chris Law are partners with now with the live, and it was just some of the most fruitful times in my life, Mitch, that time kind of post pandemic. The fire was burning hot for people of the church and of the community to stand in one accord, especially as we talk about differences that we might have ethnically and culturally. We're trying to raise up God's heart for all of us and how we could stand to make these water and seed flourishing and transformation in our community as one, in spite of our ethnic and cultural differences. But Quincy was leading us in that and in that season of my life that two or three years ago, it was just really fruitful to be with him and be with some of those folks that he mentioned.
Speaker 2:I don't know about meeting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but more than convening.
Speaker 2:He convened us together, bringing the right people together, and they did all the work. I happen to be there to record, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know we need that convener though. We need that convener. That will get us to the table and say you know, encourage us to do the work collaboratively together. So I'm glad to see you doing well of 15 years of pastoral ministry, 30 years of marriage, and so I'll hand it to you, mitch. What's on, doc? What do you want to ask? Let's see today.
Speaker 3:Where do you think your heart for collaboration comes from? Yeah, was there a moment in time where you're reading a scripture? Was it a mentor of yours? Where does that come from? Wow?
Speaker 2:I believe my mother and stepfather. They were community oriented people. I saw them feed the elderly in the community. We had community gardens and she helped everyone with their garden. So that meant the kids had to help with the gardens and when it was harvest time we go bring it in and she would share it with neighbors and family and friends.
Speaker 3:So yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I would say them. They had a heart for people they loved really hard in our community. So I saw it in my childhood, saw it with my mother. Even she was really resourceful when she retired or was on disabilities she still found ways and means in Southern Mississippi, one of the poorest counties in the country at that time. She would this is really dating me, but she would gather young men and young women in the community to. She bought a truck she would hire them for during the season of to go out and chop cotton. That sounds really old.
Speaker 2:That sound like I was raised in the 50s but really it wasn't that long ago she would do things like that. So I just saw her finding ways and means to provide for family and community. Our home, our home, was almost like a shelter. We bring people in. I remember one family whose house had burned down and she invited them in and I had to give up my bedroom for them. So yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Goes back home.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for a while or something after. After, when did you know that you wanted to have a life of ministry?
Speaker 2:I think at the age of nine I knew there was some form of call I didn't know how it would play out had a burden for the ministry and the word of God and just my life took a turn, especially having joined the military and meeting people from so many different walks of life in the military Kind of opened my eyes to the struggles that so many people have beyond black and white in our country and our community. I think it was there that my eyes really became open. Like man, how can I give back? And I had people in the military who took good care of me. I was always seemed like the youngest guy in the crew in the group and they kind of looked out for me. So I wanted to repay that. Not that they were always or we were always doing the right things, but they were there to support and courage and take me under their wings. And even when I'll never forget when we were doing things we shouldn't have been doing, they would look at me and say this is not for you. So they were willing to tell me that there's another plan for your life.
Speaker 2:And I'll never forget one of my friends from the military. I may have been out the military. This time, maybe five years, and I was looking for him down in Florida, happened to reach his family one of his family members, that's when we still had the yellow pages and all of that and happened to talk to one of his family members. And they gave me the run around and by the time they allowed me to talk to him, come to find out he had been shot in a drug deal that had gone bad and I was sharing with him. Man, I believe the Lord has called me to ministry. And he said I always saw that in you. And he said that's why we try to protect you.
Speaker 1:I'm thinking wow, how could you see some?
Speaker 2:things at that time where I couldn't even recognize, had kind of laid down that notion and idea that I would one day do ministry.
Speaker 3:Wow, thank you for your service and thank you for answering the call, yeah that's right.
Speaker 1:And I think about when others see things in us sometimes that we can't see and I think that's a beautiful thing that sometimes the Lord will do is when we don't have the foresight he gives somebody else the insight to what he has for us, and so I'm grateful for those situations where there are some folks that will speak things over us that we just can't see. In the moment that he reveals to us in the right season for us to walk into Quincy, I think about your heart for community and collaboration and where your church is located and I know you all are strategically planted in that neighborhood, connected to the schools there, the neighborhood association there at one point and to continually do some things just strategically in that neighborhood you just share for all of us.
Speaker 1:The majority of folks live in neighborhoods, live in large towns or cities or inundated in a neighborhood like what's the importance of us just being hands and feet where we're planted, where we are, like you are with where your church is located?
Speaker 2:Number one as a church. Yes, we've been in existence for 15 years, but it took us about nine years to be planted in a neighborhood and find a place that we could call home and give back and be a part of the community. And right there next to the church, we have a neighbor, orlando, and I remember inviting the chapel over to do some work around the church. But also Orlando had some leaks and is rough and had some work done and some shingles were just all over the ground same with his garage and they had been sitting laying there on the ground for some time there. And it was amazing to be able to have a team from the chapel come over not only to help serve us and put out mulch and help do some grounds keeping and cleaning around the building, but at the same time they were able to bring over a dumpster and get all that debris, get all those shingles up from the work that he had done. So just a beauty to be in a neighborhood and have neighbors and he looks out.
Speaker 2:He looks out his window he looks out his window and he'll let me know. Hey guys, we're on the parking lot and in the same, it's true, with having Fairfield Elementary a block in. What is it a block?
Speaker 2:East of us then, right next door across the street, is South Wayne Elementary, comprised of about 700 families right there and we're trying to figure out the best way. We don't have the capacity to do as much as we would love to do, but we've partnered together in whether it's going over to the school and providing lunches for the whole staff in that school or sending over a food truck to a school pretty cool and we're received. There were some neighbors in the community when we were able to land the building who later told me, said, oh, we were so concerned about who would take this property and what they would do with it. So it was certainly a blessing for God to put us right there and we've done some food truck rallies there and the neighborhood has come through and just got to meet a lot of great people and there are a lot of city church folk over there also great people, great people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. In that neighborhood there, the church capital C is there and it's not just living there to say we live in the section of the city. People are part of the neighborhood in all aspects, as you mentioned in regards to serving at the schools and convening with one another and convening with the neighbors that perhaps have lived there well before they did. I think it's powerful, it really really is.
Speaker 3:What do you find is the greatest need in your community and among those school families?
Speaker 2:Wow, I can't say necessarily for that particular neighborhood, but what we're seeing in associated churches with families and schools that we serve, interesting housing is a great need in our community. Housing and still hunger People, young people coming to school yeah, hungry, yeah, and one of the things that we're seeing with them. Fort Wayne Community Schools have over a thousand young people who are displaced, families that are displaced and homeless. So housing is a critical issue right now and in one of the ministries called Journey Beside Moms, we get to just serve those families. Those young mothers send them to the baby's closet where they're able to redeem items, clothing, brand new items, but we also, from there, try to link them up with a mother mentor who can?
Speaker 2:encourage. So we're seeing a lot of issue in need with just having a spiritual companion, a friend, one who not just a mentor but someone to call and check in, to listen, to care and once that relationship is established, we've also seen some of the ladies go in and babysit, help them clean their home, give them some time to relax. So, yeah, everything from the mental health concerns to housing and hunger in our community huge right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you guys are at the as associated churches, wearing that hat now she just mentioned. You're on the front lines with some of these, these needs of our community, and thank you for sharing, like how some of the ministry works and some of the beautiful outcomes of that. You've seen. What could you share with folks that are listening about just some of the opportunities as the church, to come alongside and serve some of these greatest needs? You just hit on a few of them, but I just think it'd be so encouraging for people to see it, because we just don't, we don't know it and then when our hearts get moved to it, we go. Where could I go?
Speaker 3:What could I do?
Speaker 1:And you're like you probably say well, we have some places where you could be a part. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:And again, these are not every place is associated churches, but we want to be able to recruit for existing agencies who have need. One in particular is the new jail chaplain, william Curry, reverend Doctor, yeah, william Curry is the new jail chaplain and Roger has been very instrumental years ago in the history of associated churches. The jail chaplaincy started under AC. So as that transition for Chaplain the chaplain has come about, roger has been our executive director, has been very involved in that and one of the things they really want to do is come around those inmates and their families, provide support, spiritual support, felt needs and as those needs are identified, we want to be able to reach out to churches, want to be able to reach out to different agencies that may be able to to serve those families. Another thing during the holidays the military families. We last year adopted about 77 military families who during the holiday and provided Christmas for them, those who are keeping our community, our country, safe and fighting for our country. So we really want to come around them as well during the holiday season.
Speaker 1:It's great you talk about holiday seasons. It's great we're in the midst of it and, you know, are there some other opportunities for folks. That's a great opportunity right there to live on our. You know my brother served for 24 and a half years and you're aware of that, that he was in the service. It's what other places can folks in our community just love will, especially in the holiday season?
Speaker 2:Yeah, let me add, journey beside. Yeah, moms, we were always in need the needless keeps growing to have mentors for those moms, whether it's they have play groups where one of the ways we get the families to come is saying hey, we'll have a play group for your children, so having that for them encourages them to come. Some folks who can provide meals, some people who can help with childcare while the parents talk to one another, and some mother mentors. So if you have a, a women's ministry in your church, you have a senior, a senior, a senior ministry, that would be a great place to get, get involved and help out. And always during the holiday season, food is a big need. So if you want to get your church together and do a food drive and drop the food off at associated churches, we would love to cause. All the food comes from the community and goes back into our 21 food pantries and the food network in the community. So we're dependent on on households who have a little extra to give back.
Speaker 3:What's a mom mentoring another mom look like? What kind of commitment is it and how do they connect?
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. I think it starts out at about they're asking for at least a year to come around that mother to spend time with them, to check in on them. So the commitment we don't want people to be dropped along the way. Can I give a preacher plug? Yeah, I don't know if you know the story of Mephibisaph, and I think it's first or second Samuel, chapter nine who, when the kingdom was being overtaken, his nanny was running with him and dropped them in. Both of his ankles were broken and for the rest of his life, the remainder of his life, he was in that broken state and sometimes the people who are there to care for us drop us.
Speaker 2:And as I see the image of that, that story, that biblical story, we don't want people to be dropped and they don't have the services, the resources, the support that they need to come around them to help them just be able to stand and make it in life. So number one is being committed to it. We have an orientation for them, great orientation. We feed you during the orientation and just kind of explain the knowing who you are and who you're not as you enter into the lives of these, these young families, and don't want to overwhelm anyone, but at the same time we're pretty honest about what people are stepping into and how great the need is and what some of the struggles these families are dealing with. So you have a decision to make if you're willing to jump in and give a hand. So we expect a commitment in that.
Speaker 1:And I continue to. You know, have just seen one whole lot of things and knowledge and the commitment is such a big thing, and you hit on something that also grabbed my attention, which is, you know, I think a lot of times in our churches, in our places of worship and gathering, folks are praying and thinking about as a group what can we do, when can we lean in?
Speaker 1:And so you've just given some really great opportunities for folks that maybe for a season, have been thinking about or praying about how can we lean in. We feel that prompting to lean in and just then encouraging folks with that biblical like that biblical word is that the commitment is key. The commitment is key Cause sometimes our heart can wanna go and do something, and so our eyes get big at the opportunity, but I think it's practicing good wisdom to say, yeah, I don't wanna, we don't wanna drop people as we come into their lives. Certain things may happen where we do have to take a step back, but to make that commitment as your heart is nudged is so, so important.
Speaker 2:And I think, at the same time, there are those who have been serving for so long. It's time for another generation, another group of people to step into to offer them some relief and learn from those who have gone before us. So this cry and appeal is not just to our seniors, to our seniors, our retired, but for some young people to get engaged. There's work for everyone to do. That's right To give back to our community.
Speaker 1:That's right. I don't know if you guys like see it or recognize it. I just think, like in some of the relationships I've been blessed to have more recently, like our merging gen is on fire right now to experience and express an authentic sense of love, like that love that loved us first. And so there and I can do this I mean we're hosting the podcast like this I'm giving a charge to that emerging gen, so many of them that allow for me to sit at the table with them, to heed that word that you just mentioned it's. We are listening.
Speaker 1:I am listening to you about what you're saying, emerging gen of believers about. We want to the love that you read about in the scriptures, that you have fallen in love with, that you've known for yourself. I hear you, you are right, amen, and I think this is a beautiful opportunity, opportunities that you all might have at associated churches, but there are, you said it. There are other outreaches and ministries that you all promote that we promote that. We man.
Speaker 1:It is time. Yeah, we need you, we are looking to you, we want to love you well, we want to say that we hear you and see you. We also want to push and encourage you and embolden you to go in love in our city so that we can follow your lead as well. So if you're listening in and you're in part of that emerging gen, we need you. We need your example of love that you've been talking to us about, that authentic Christ centered love. We see you and we want to follow your lead and encourage you to dive in, especially in Fort Wayne, because there's a stirring that's happening.
Speaker 1:There is a stirring that's happening in our city and it's a collective generational thing. From our 20s, from our teens up through our elders, we are in one generation that I think something is robust is going to happen here. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, the invitation is set.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:We need you, we need your support. You know the culture, you know really what's happening with this generation. So the invitation is laid out before you to join in and be a part of what's happening, whether that's supporting our schools and coming being mentors. I just had a middle school case manager to reach out last week just saying, hey, we need some mentors for our young men here at Lane Middle School. So there's always something that can be done.
Speaker 1:Yep, yeah, I took Quincy Mitch back in the last school year. That was I was going to play in football I think you knew this too playing football with fourth grade boys, because that's just what they needed at the school. And I asked like, hey, is there anything? I want to flip free up my schedule on Fridays and they will need you. I said, oh great, I didn't know. I thought maybe in the classroom. No, If you can come and do lunch and play football with the boys and you don't anything, I knew anything about sports or football. You don't even know what you're doing. You've tried.
Speaker 3:NFL players.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so I just sat there we watched and we played and we did our thing. But I just think it was the consistency and this isn't about me, but it's the. I recognize that those fourth grade boys needed someone hanging on to my 30s by a little bit. They needed someone relatively younger in their eyes just to be there with them, and it became more than football, it became Mr King was always there and if I miss, maybe twice, both times, where were you? Yeah, because it mattered that I was there, and I think that that is super important.
Speaker 1:In our community we have people who are in need of love and care and service, where Jesus says did you care for them? Like it was me, the full Matthew 25 concept I mean that is true in our day and the consistency of love and care. We're really what people are looking for. We need that in our generation because I do believe there are some city-wide transformation and flourishing that we will see in our collective generation If we go low and care consistently, as he did and said we should as well.
Speaker 2:Power presence huh. Yeah, power presence, it's just being there and listening and what I've learned over the years of being with young people that you no longer understand Like man culture changes so quick. I don't understand the language and just sitting there listening to them, you learn so much and you earn a right to be heard by each generation. So I wanna be in that position where I'm still learning. I'm listening to them and then they give me the floor. Then I can encourage where they may have questions in their lives, so it's really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, as we look towards the end of this year and 2024 is right around the corner, in this holiday season, I just wanted to ask what are some of your personal hopes in the ministry as you serve in surpassed her, but also in your community work. So personally, but also with the hat that you wear and leadership at associated churches, what are some hopes that you all have as well for the coming year?
Speaker 2:Personally, strengthening my friendships, my relationships that I have, being intentional of calling people back, being intentional of checking in on my friends and how they're doing, especially those people who you think are strong. They're the ones who need that call probably the most because that pressure and that burden that's on them to be there for so many other people. So I want to be mindful of that Strengthening my family. You met my son, uh huh, yeah you sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just continue to pour into my kids and my marriage. And when I think of the church, wow, we're trying to establish a culture of discipleship and what that looks like in our context, because it's uncommon in our church for people to come back anymore to other meetings throughout the week, so even on a Sunday.
Speaker 2:how can we maximize that? And I've been able to see a few models of people doing some things, so I'm testing it out. They're at Lifeway to see. Hey, maybe on a Sunday it's no longer we're going to preach every Sunday, but hey, let's recap last Sunday's message and break out and get people engaged.
Speaker 2:Yeah, being facilitators more opportunities to break bread together, fellowship time and Sunday going out into the community and serving. One of the things we're planning right now is for October 22nd having a this sound like a church thing to do event, a Sunday fun day. That sound like church. But we want to do that with the very same neighborhood that your mother works with. We want to do that at studio elementary and provide something for the neighborhood over in. Is it Brook?
Speaker 1:Mill.
Speaker 2:And have those families in that school to come back and we just love on them, have some games, some gifts, some food, all of that for them, love that.
Speaker 1:That's so much. What do you think, Mitch? How?
Speaker 3:many churches participate in associated churches. Wow.
Speaker 2:Our numbers range between about 120 to about 140.
Speaker 3:My goodness, it's so good. Yeah, and if a pastor's listening and his church isn't part of it, could they become a part of it?
Speaker 2:Yes, being a part of it. You don't have to sign anything in blood. All it requires is showing up. We have several ways to give back.
Speaker 2:I think every ministry in your church can find a way, whether it's the children's ministry or the youth ministry. In the I think it's around May, we have the letter carrier food drive and we've seen sports teams come out and help. As the letter carriers come in, they're sorting the food and right there on the spot. So if it's a youth group, if it's any ministry in a church, whether that's helping in a food network, september is hunger action month, so we're reaching out to churches all the time. We need food. We need food or to come into the warehouse and help us to pack the food that goes out. Give two hours of your time and come in, put together a couple of pallets of food. That helps us tremendously. We can do the work that we do without the support of our churches, whether that's again mentoring mothers, whether it's providing a meal on Wednesday nights at the landing where Tom and his wife Carol are working with young people who are dealing with mental health challenges and struggles, trying to figure life out at a very tumultuous time in their lives.
Speaker 2:Going down on a Wednesday night, providing a meal, being a mentor with those families and hey, they're just coming alongside a school, adopting a school. I don't care if we have three churches. There's enough work in many of these schools that one church can decide hey, for all the family nights or that the school is having, we'll come and bring a meal. Whether it's a church saying, hey, we can become that study connection site where we'll go over. We have Indian Village, where First Wayne Street, united Methodist Church send in about 14 people each week and work with the children, reading with them, loving on them, greeting them when they come into the school, you name it. So there are so many ways to serve and all we require to say hey, I'm a member of associated churches is to just give back, and we're not saying financially, that could possibly come, but give back in your service in the community.
Speaker 1:What I think about here is we near close and you mentioned these beautiful opportunities for that church and the churches to be involved is Like this is how the church can associate with one another. If I can play on the words, it's like if it's just, if it's saying we have made this agreement as the church to lean into these opportunities that a place, like associated churches, have said listen.
Speaker 1:There is a need. We're the convener of need. We have this. We have the program, the outreach, the opportunities and we are just inviting the church, where they can in the various churches, to come alongside. And when the church and various churches say yes to doing that and mentoring and serving and bringing meals and helping with mothers or at a school, they say yes to the Rising Stars program, regardless of what it is, that is the church saying yes, we're doing this, we're gonna do this together, we're gonna lean into community and our community together.
Speaker 2:And what we've recognized is many times people don't know how can I get engaged? And really, with the schools we point people to big brothers, big sisters. Why don't you sign up A couple of people to be lunch buddies? Do real men read, there's project reads that you can get a team of people, again offsite or going on site at the school register. Sign up and you can help young people with reading. Or you can just fill out the volunteer application at a local school and they can perhaps find a way for you to serve. So the beauty of the Rising Stars, adopt a School program is just what ways, what agencies have already been vetted that is already in that school that we can say, hey, go, join them, come alongside them, and that's your entrance into the school, to be in, connected, you know.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope, if you've been listening like in this season we're getting good gifts, which is awesome. We're remembering Jesus coming to earth and we're giving some good gifts I know I like to give a good gadget here or there Like this is a great opportunity for you to give a gift back to our community and it's a quiz that you've done so eloquently and you always do, because of your heart and its elaboration that you share with us. You've pointed to not just some opportunities that you all have at your church or at associated churches, but just in Fort Wayne as a whole, where people can say I'm gonna give back the gift of my love, my time, my treasure, to give back to our city for the greater good of the people in our city. So thank you for that and I just wanna encourage people again in this Christmas season just to think about that.
Speaker 1:Take some of the words that we've shared and the conversations that we've had Back to your prayer, closet back to your church, back to your group, and say are there places in this Christmas season and this holiday season where we're maybe being prompted To give the gift of care, love and service back to the city here in Fort Wayne? Or again, if you're listening from somewhere else, perhaps this has prompted you to do the same where you live. So, Mitch, you got any final words for us as we close?
Speaker 3:I just wanna say, Quincy, thank you for your life. You've been such a blessing to our community in so many ways and I just wanna, on behalf of all of the Fort Wayne Greater community, I just wanna say thank you, you're amazing.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me. Yeah, Thank you everybody. We appreciate you tuning in. We will check you out next time here on the Love Fort Wayne podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for joining us this month. Thanks again for joining us today. Join us next time, as we hear from leaders that don't just lead, but love our city.