Bethlehem Lutheran collects bottled water for Flint, Mich.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church of West Dundee recently collected and shipped a truckload of bottled water to the residents of Flint, Michigan, to aid them during their municipal water crisis.

"Water for Flint" program coordinator Barry Wandell and Pastor Jim Murr expressed great appreciation for the participation from the congregation and citizens and businesses of the area.

Members of the Bethlehem congregation donated water and volunteers collected and moved the water into storage over a period of several months and finally loaded the truck.

Donations of water or funds to purchase water were made by Meijer, Sam's Club, Thrivent Financial, Boy Scout Troop 32, and members of the community.

Special thanks go to Ryder of Bensenville for donating the truck rental, Kenan Advantage for donating the fuel for the truck, and to Scott and Heidi Heifetz who drove the truck to Flint round trip six hours each way plus helping unload and distribute water to residents of Flint.

In Flint, Our Savior Lutheran Church, 6901 N. Saginaw St., holds a weekly food pantry at which they give out food and water. On a recent Saturday, Our Savior Pastor Randy Schultz and members of his congregation advertised and held a special water distribution from noon to 4 p.m. to distribute the shipment of water from Bethlehem. Residents pulled up their vehicles and volunteers put water into the car or truck. There was a steady stream of vehicles and everyone was very friendly and grateful.

It was a blessing for Bethlehem to be part of this outreach mission to show the citizens of Flint that they are a loved and cherished citizenry of our national community. Bethlehem received a gracious thank you note from Our Savior saying it was truly a gift from the heart and definitely demonstrated Jesus's love for His neighbor.