This year Grace Church of Independence, MO and pastor Joey Candillo tried something different over Labor Day weekend and hope to make it an annual tradition. Rather than having their normal worship service on Sunday, September 2, they decided to go out into the community and serve. After meeting at the church for breakfast and prayer, they divided into teams and left the church property to take part in one of seven different projects.
- Project 1: Go to three local laundromats and offer to pay for people’s laundry. Candillo states, “That opened up some amazing conversations.”
- Project 2: Mow lawns for elderly people in the neighborhood.
- Project 3: Trim trees for elderly and clean an empty lot next to the church property.
- Project 4: Clean and pull weeds in the alley behind the church followed by picking up trash along local highway and two local public schools.
- Project 5: Stay at the church and put together gift bags for Rachel’s House, a Christian crisis pregnancy center in town.
- Project 6: Deliver home-baked cookies to local police and fire departments.
- Project 7: Children that stayed behind made cards and crafts to be delivered to a retirement home in a nearby town where a church plant is being started.
All those that participated met at a local park for a church picnic at noon. Candillo shared, “It was great to hear everyone sharing about their experiences. It was a great day for our church.”
