DuPage County churches team up to make a difference for CareFest
About 2,000 volunteers from 10 area churches are getting up early this morning to do work projects in more than 100 different locations around DuPage County, including 20 area schools.
This daylong event, CareFest, starts with a rally at 8:15 a.m. today at Wheaton Bible Church, 410 N. Cross St., Wheaton, and ends around 4 p.m.
"The goal of CareFest is to build bridges of love and compassion into the community," said the Rev. Chris McElwee, CareFest coordinator and local impact pastor at Wheaton Bible Church.
"Our model is Jesus, who said that he came to serve, not to be served."
CareFest volunteers will be serving at more than 20 schools in West Chicago Elementary District 33, Queen Bee Elementary District 16, Carol Stream Elementary District 93, Benjamin Elementary District 25 and West Chicago's Community High School.
The volunteers also will be helping not-for-profit and civic organizations, as well as painting, landscaping and fixing up homes of DuPage County residents who need a boost.
The 10 churches generally will be working around their communities. The event is a nondenominational, multi-church effort focused on serving greater DuPage County.
CareFest churches are Bridgeway Community Church, College Church of Wheaton, Community Fellowship Church, Evangelical Free Church of Wheaton, Harvest Bible Chapel of Naperville, Medinah Baptist, Pleasant Hill Community Church, Water's Edge Bible Church, Wheaton Bible Church and Willow DuPage.
"Our sponsors are crucial to the success of the day," McElwee said. "They make huge sacrifices. We are very thankful for the partnerships we enjoy with B. Haney and Sons, Prosek's Nursery, Duncan Excavating and Muehlfelt Enterprises."
CareFest originated at Wheaton Bible Church in 2005. In 2007, four more churches joined. This year it is calculated that volunteers will donate up to 14,000 hours. Supplies are donated or provided at cost from many area businesses.
For details, call McElwee at (630) 886-4646, e-mail cmcelwee@wheatonbible.org or visit www.chrismc.net.