CityServe Aug 26 in Bloomington
CHURCHES CANCEL SUNDAY WORSHIP TO SERVE NEIGHBORS
Five Bloomington Churches from Five Different Denominations Put their Faith into Action
Bloomington, MN— After a recent storm Pastor Mike Olmstead from Evergreen Church heard about a neighbor who had a large tree branch blocking her driveway. Instead of doing his normal activities that day, he decided to take action and cut up and remove the tree branch himself. The startled neighbor asked how much his work would cost. He replied, “Nothing.” He was simply putting the faith into practice.
Religion is becoming less important in American’s lives, according to recent studies. Many observers question why American Christianity is so fragmented. Five churches from five different denominations are trying to change that view. They are canceling morning worship services August 26 and heading out into their neighborhoods to paint houses, pick up trash, clean school yards, offer free oil changes to single parents and host a basketball clinic. Nearly 1,000 people from Bethany, Emmaus, Evergreen, Garden Community and Hillside churches will prove that religion is more than attending a Sunday service. These churches are laying aside their theological and denominational differences and uniting to show their neighbors what the love of God looks like. These five churches along with Transform Minnesota have come together to create CityServe, an initiative that challenges churches and their members to put their faith into action.
CityServe is more than just a one-day event. Pastors from the five congregations will keep the network in place and respond to requests for help through the year. To coordinate the nearly 1,000 volunteers and 25 service projects that are part of CityServe, they are using an online too called thecommon.org. Using thecommon.org, volunteers can sign up for projects based on their skills and availability. In the months ahead, pastors from these five congregations will be able to tap into this online network of volunteers and respond to requests for assistance.
Some CityServe projects, such as house repairs and tree removal, have already started and will culminate on August 26th. Free oil changes for single parents will be provided on both Saturday and Sunday. A team of volunteers will return to Pastor Olmstead’s neighbor’s house on August 26 to help with much-needed painting
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