30 area churches focus on good deeds in community instead of proselytizing

If churches no longer existed, would anyone care?

A group of Colorado Springs pastors pondered that question during a luncheon eight months ago. Their conclusion led to nearly 30 area churches committing to a We Care Project that began Friday.

For 10 days, hundreds of congregants will wash cars, collect canned goods for the poor, fix people's houses, clean parks, give away food, visit the elderly and do other good deeds in the community.

A couple of churches even canceled Sunday services so their parishioners can spend more time helping others.

"Many people not connected with the Christian faith tend to view the church as irrelevant," said Stewart McWilliams, senior pastor of the Fellowship of the Rockies, which, because of scheduling conflicts, took part in the We Care Project on May 4. "So seeing the church do these very practical things may cause their attitude to shift a little bit."

The idea for the We Care Project began when Brad Cowger, pastor of Monu- ment Hill Church in Monument, read "The Church of Irresistible Influence: Bridge-Building Stories to Help Reach Your Community," by the Rev. Robert Lewis. Lewis writes about creating Share Fest, in which parishioners go into the community to help others with no agenda to proselytize.

"We are out there to show love of Jesus in a practical way, no strings attached" said Eric Boyken, missions pastor at Monument Hill Church.

Each church has planned its own projects, but organizers were keen on having the churches participate at the same time.

"Churches need to get outside their walls and learn to work together," said Bill Lighty, director of the Pikes Peak Baptist Association and a coordinator of the project. "It seems like we built up barriers, but we need to build bridges," Lighty said.

Living a Christian life by doing good rather than by going to church on Sunday is an important message of the We Care Project, organizers said.

"We can no longer expect people to discover that the church of Jesus Christ is the answer to the conflicts in life," McWilliams said.

About 350 parishioners of Fellowship of the Rockies took part in the Sunday events. After meeting briefly at the church, congregants dispersed to clean six parks; give away 800 Subway sandwiches; visit with the elderly in hospices; collect canned goods door to door for Westside Cares, a nonprofit food bank; and wash cars for free in the church parking lot.

"One person got his car washed and came back with five of his friends to have theirs washed," McWilliams said.

McWilliams was impressed with how children and teenagers took an active role in his church's projects.

"The thing that touched me the most," McWilliams said, "was seeing the kids get excited about doing something to make our community a better place."

Organizers hope the We Care Project will be a regular event.

"We hope this expands to a hundred churches in the future," Lighty said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0367 or mark.barna@gazette.com

HELPING OUT

Here is a partial list of area churches participating in the We Care Project. Several churches requested anonymity.

• Circle Drive Baptist Church
• Crossroads Chapel
• Ethne' Church
• Faithbridge Church
• Gracepoint Church
• Heart of the Springs Church
• Springs Ranch Baptist Church
• Calvary Baptist Church
• Fellowship of the Rockies
• First Baptist Church of Black Forest
• First Southern Baptist Church
• Garden Ridge Baptist Church
• Heritage Baptist Church
• Monument Hill Church
• Open Bible Baptist Church
• Pikes Peak Park Baptist Church
• New Life of Colorado Springs
• Genesis Church of Castle Rock
• Chapel Hills Baptist Church
• Vanguard Church
• Tri-Lakes Chapel
• The Gathering
SOURCE: Monument Hill Church