Articles for tag: ServeFest

October 1, 2012

By Jennifer Johnson “The church has left the building!” “Don”t miss our great day of service!” “This Sunday we”re not going to church, we”re going to BE the church!” These churches mean well. They want to show God”s love to their communities in practical ways while making it easier for church members to practice serving others. And some, like the annual ServeFest coordinated by Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, have grown into very effective partnerships with dozens of other area churches in a common cause. (Check it out at www.servefestmd.org.) But I often wonder about the recipients of these

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Dreaming It, Modeling It, and Then Giving It Away

By Jennifer Taylor Day of Fest Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, began “ServeFest” in 2003 as an event for Mountain members. The church contacted schools and other local organizations and spent a day landscaping, removing trash, and painting. Within a few years three more churches had joined the party, then 17, then 41. In April of this year 77 churches in five counties participated in the one-day event, unleashing thousands of people to serve across the city in 127 projects. “We have disappeared as owners of the event and it truly belongs to churches all over our region, including some

August 9, 2009

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Loving Our Neighbors, Building Relationships in Kansas City, Missouri

Â by Patirck O’Connell At Restore Community Church, Kansas City, Missouri, we call the intentional, outward-focused love of people “Reachout.” Through Reachout, we help align people with our mission of “Helping people find their way back to God” and mobilize them to become difference makers in their neighborhoods, cities, and world. Reachout is not an agenda or a program; rather, it”s our response to God”s command to love others. Being intentional about carrying out Jesus” command to love our neighbors has helped us forge new relationships and provided us the opportunity to be more like Jesus. We want to be

July 5, 2009

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

It”s Simple: Why We Partner with Civic Organizations to Serve the Community

Â By Luke Erickson and Tom MoenÂ Attend a community council meeting and you quickly discover what”s important to the people in your county. What some people call “bellyaching” sometimes tells you the most:Â “We don”t have enough programs for our kids.” “The shopping center is run-down and poorly lit. It attracts gang activity.” “The homeless are tracking through our property to get to the liquor store.” To address concerns like these, our community council naturally looks to its members, local law enforcement, and a host of civic organizations. While these groups may not be explicitly Christian, they are already