Here is the article from the Record Herald on Grace Church’s Be The Church Sunday, May 1st, 2011.
Ryan Carter
Assistant Editor
"Be The Church" Sunday on May 1 allowed the congregation of Grace United Methodist Church to live out its faith through action by helping the people of this community.
"The United Methodist Church this weekend is doing a program called 'Change The World' where churches are going into their communities and making a concerted effort to help those communities," Rev. Ron Dodds of Grace United said on Thursday. "We did this last year and we wanted to go ahead and do it again this year. It worked better for us to do it on our own timing so we decided on the first Sunday after Easter."
It began with a card and cookie shower as the members of the Card and Cookie Ministry Team wrote cards of encouragement and baked homemade cookies to give to people in nursing homes and those who are unable to leave their homes. Members of the Visitation Group went to nursing homes to visit and provided the cookies and cards to those they encountered.
This group also offered a short worship service and everyone enjoyed a sing-along of the old favorite hymns. They visited some of the elderly who live at home but can't leave very often
"They offered a human touch and expression of Christ's love to some people who may not have felt that touch in quite some time," said Dawn Ward, the communications coordinator for the church.
The Prayer Group visited Fayette County Memorial Hospital with the cookies and encouragement cards. They prayed with the families of patients and the patients themselves, offering comfort and support.
"The random acts of kindness and the prayers that were offered seemed to really impact people in a positive way," said Dodds.
Other members of the Prayer Group went to two gas stations and prayed with people if they desired and also gave them money for gas.
"One woman who was approached had $20 in her hand," said Ward. "When asked if she would accept $20 for gas, she said the money in her hand was the last $20 she had until she was paid next week. She would have to spend it all on gas. Now she could use it for other things she and her family needed to get through until payday. A few people declined the offer of gas money as they wanted it to go to someone more in need."
Dodds was impressed by those who decided to decline the gas money and "pay it forward" to those who had a greater need.
"I think that speaks well of our community in many ways," he said.
The Clean Up Group headed out in the rain and picked trash up off the city streets and also cleaned Christman Park. This group, consisting of the youth and pastors of Grace United Methodist Church along with other members of the congregation, wanted to show how much they care about the city and other areas of the community.
A Lunch Crew made brown bag lunches for the participants of the programs at The Well and for the people who came back to enjoy a free lunch offered at the church.
A children's workshop was offered at The Well at Sunnyside and coaches offered a free baseball clinic on hitting, catching and throwing, and the fundamentals of baseball. Participants were offered a free bat and helmet to take home to continue to practice the skills they learned that morning.
"Bicycle enthusiasts performed minor bicycle repair," said Ward. "They adjusted chains, replaced or patched tires, adjusted seats and handlebars, and oiled other moving parts. The line of children ready for bike repair stretched around the corner. In addition, a Sandbox Crew drove out to people's homes and filled their children's sandboxes with new, clean sand for the summer.
"The people of Grace United Methodist Church thoroughly enjoyed putting faith in action as they made Christ evident in their words and deeds that day," Ward said. "Rooted in the teachings of John Wesley, Methodism's founder, who firmly believed that personal faith and social action were essential to Christianity, this was the second Be The Church day offered, with many more to follow."
Approximately 160 members of the Grace United congregation participated.
"The great thing is that people who participated felt like they received more than the people they were helping," said Dodds. "And that's what we're trying to focus in on here....think more of others and think about how we can change our community and our world that we're a part of. It's not just by sitting in this beautiful building. We want to be a church that engages and is a part of the community."
Grace United Methodist Church is located at the corner of East Market and North North streets, across from the new fire and police station. In addition to numerous mission and service opportunities offered here in Fayette County and around the world, Grace Church offers two Sunday worship services - a casual service that is led by the people of the church at 8:15 a.m. and a more traditional service led by Dodds at 10:30 a.m.
In addition, a new contemporary worship service with a praise band will begin this fall. Sunday school for all ages is offered at 9:15 a.m. and youth groups and activities take place on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. for grades 3-5 and Sundays from 5-8:30 p.m. for grades 6-12.
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