• By RJ Walters, Editor •
A group of young kids pulling up weeds outside of the VINA dental clinic at Brighton First United Methodist Church captured the spirit of the May 14-15 weekend in a candid response.
“Somebody pulled into the parking lot Saturday to go to another mission trip and they were like, ‘What are you guys doing today?’” said Suzy Hutchison, Brighton First Christian education director. “And (the kids) yelled out, ‘We’re changing the world!’”
Change the World weekend — a denominational initiative that urges people to make a difference in their communities — took on many shapes and forms in the Michigan Area as dozens of congregations put smiles on faces, clean clothes on those in need and money toward a variety of projects.
At Brighton First the project was 10-fold, as in 10 different projects around the community and region.
More than 160 people, many wearing Change the World t-shirts, teamed up to do everything from serve at Cass Community Social Services in Detroit to planting flowers at a local nursing home to handing out free coins at a local Laundromat.
“I think part of the culture of this church is to be missional and to be reaching out into the community,” Hutchison said, noting the response was so great that the church is going to consider hosting similar events more than once a year. “I think it’s a concept that resonated with the people that attend here and there were opportunities of all sizes and commitment and skill levels so everybody could find a spot.”
She said the responses from people on the receiving end of the generosity were warm, but surprised.
“For example, like at the Laundromat, several people said, ‘What do I have to do get this?’ and it’s like, ‘Well, you don’t have to do anything,’” she said. “It’s like this very difficult to explain concept, that we’re not doing it with any great motivation except to make a difference in your day.”
Brighton First capped the evening with a multi-genre concert at their church that raised more than $500 for a mission team that is headed to Haiti in August.
In Roscommon, members of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church of the North made their mark as cookie capers on May 14.Nine teams of drivers and passengers delivered trays of cookies that had been baked or bought to local businesses such as gas stations, supermarkets and restaurants.
“We packaged them and had little cards made that said, ‘All you need is love…really,’ and then on the back side there was some information about the church and our appreciation for them,” said the Rev. Eric Kieb.
He said he wanted to host an event that was inclusive and people felt like they could be a part of without being a ”theologian or Bible scholar.”
“I said all you have to do is go in and say, ‘Hey, we’re from Good Shepherd United Methodist Church and we want to let you know we love our community and we’re so appreciative of what you do in our community by being open and serving us, here’s some cookies.’“
Big Rapids First United Methodist church focused on the lower part of the food chain that weekend, working to get its Hope Garden community garden ready for the 2011 season.
The garden sits on roughly one acre of land less than five minutes from the church and in its second season last year it produced 9,700 pounds of produce that was distributed to seven local food banks.
“We have kind of a plan to get this garden in (for this season) and that weekend it just so happens it was spreading the manure,” the Rev. Dean Prentiss said. “We needed to get the soil just right and we have a farmer who donates the manure and a couple who donates a special type of fertilizer that is good for the plants.”
He said the concept of the garden stemmed from a church Bible study that focused on the book of
Matthew several years ago and local farmers and gardeners jumped on board to get the project started.
Roughly 10 people helped out on Change the World weekend, but there are nearly 20 people who regularly cultivate the garden.
Prentiss said community members from outside of the church are encouraged to be a part of the process and the goal is for everyone in the surrounding area to take ownership.
“It’s amazing, but you can really get a lot closer to people when you’re digging up a row (of dirt) for carrots than just seeing them at church once in a while,” he said. “It’s been great for our community and shown that planting seeds in fertile soil can go a long ways.”
Other highlights from around the Michigan Area on Change the World weekend:
• Central United Methodist Church in Muskegon partnered with the Nelson Neighborhood Association to clean up neighborhood parks and streets before enjoying a hotdog roast together.
• Alden Community United Methodist Church joined forces with the Torch Area Artisan Guild to collect baby supplies for the local Moms and Tots program. They offered a friendly amendment to the title of the denominational initiative: “Change the World One Family at a Time.”
• The First United Methodist Church of Saline collected gently used children’s story/picture books to help start new libraries at two United Methodist primary schools in Zimbabwe.
• Big Beaver United Methodist Church in Troy organized multiple outreach opportunities. They included clean up in downtown Detroit, painting and weeding at Mariners Inn in Detroit, building a playscape, CROP Walk participation, the assembly of health kits for Japan and more.
To see what the denomination was doing around the nation on Change the World weekend head to www.rethinkchurch.org.
