Each Dundee church organizes day of volunteering
Members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee are no strangers to stewarding their money, time and talent in service to others.
But 440 volunteers working on 30 volunteer projects all in one day? That's a new level of stewardship, said parishioner Kelley Hoyt, one the church is calling “The Big Serve.
“We're trying to get our congregation to be comfortable exiting the comforts of our church and going out to the unknown community to help with whoever needs help and whatever needs to be done, said Hoyt, the event's co-organizer. “It's just trying to get people to realize God gave us many gifts and let's go out and use them.
Volunteers in Carpentersville, East Dundee, Elgin and West Dundee decorated journals and created care packages for children in foster care, served breakfast to homeless people, painted at a day care center and went door-to-door collecting donations for a food pantry, Hoyt said.
“I just wish we didn't have to pick a day. I wish we could do it all year long, said Carl Fischer of Gilberts, who helped repaint lines on the parking lot at Life Choices Pregnancy Center in Elgin. “It's good to get organized and help out.
Blanket making got a little competitive for two mother-daughter pairs who volunteered to tie fleece blankets for children in foster care.
“I'm going as fast as I can, Sydney Spiro, 7, of Carpentersville, said as she and her mother worked on their third blanket of the morning.
“I'm just kidding you want to do a good job for them, Sydney's mother, Kelley, said.
The Spiros were in mock competition with Julia Hanson, 9, of Algonquin, and her mother, Brenda.
“It's actually really good because you're helping little kids to have different things and they don't have that much, Julia said.
Immanuel Lutheran Church's volunteer efforts usually draw about 150 congregants, Hoyt said. But for The Big Serve, which the congregation aims to make an annual event, the church reached out to high school students and scout groups to get a larger turnout.
“I've always just had a passion for encouraging other people to get away from the fundraising aspect of stewardship and focus on the other gifts God gave them, Hoyt said.