All in a Day’s Work: Churchwide Serving Day Makes an Impact
March 26, 2024 by Analise Narine
Interested in serving beyond Churchwide Serving Day? Click here to find more opportunities to make an impact in the community.
On Saturday, March 23, over 525 people spread out across Dallas to serve Outreach partners who change lives through health, education, and housing. HPUMC’s Churchwide Serving Day offers an annual, low-barrier opportunity for individuals, families, and groups to serve their community on the Saturday before Palm Sunday.
Michelle Morgan, a long-time HPUMC congregant, enjoys giving back and meeting new people through serving opportunities. Along with volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Michelle has participated in Churchwide Serving Day for more than five years.
“I'm just amazed there are so many programs out there for people that otherwise wouldn't have access, and all of them are great,” Michelle said. This year, there were a total of 31 projects across 19 different worksites for Churchwide Serving Day.
Michelle volunteered with Agape Clinic for last year’s Churchwide Serving Day. This year, she served at Literacy Achieves, a new HPUMC Outreach partner that teaches English and life skills to kids and adults from around the world.
“The people are just so devoted and dedicated, and they're not doing it for the glory,” Michelle said. “Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do one thing,” her fellow volunteer Katy Pasqual chimed in beside her.
Michelle served with Katy as well as Donna Graves, both of whom she met through a Small Group. The trio worked to pull weeds and beautify the exterior of the building. Many of this year’s projects involved creating a welcoming environment at Outreach partner locations.
“It shows that they care about the inside and the out, which is what we all should care about ourselves,” Michelle said.
Just a few miles away, Pat Engelbrecht, Lee Anne Smalley, and Jane Whittlesey served together at Project Transformation. This was the second year that the volunteers signed up for Churchwide Serving Day. They said the sense of community, the fun, and the feeling of helping out motivated them to serve again.
Jane, a librarian and book lover, found the perfect opportunity for her, as the group sorted and categorized children’s books at Project Transformation. Jane has been a congregant at HPUMC for seven months. Her fellow volunteers, Pat and Lee Anne, have been attending services for about five and thirty years, respectively.
“Our church makes us want to serve,” Jane said. “It inspires me to serve.”
Ministries from HPUMC also volunteered together. HPUMC Kids served at Charles Rice Learning Center, Belong Disability Ministry served at North Dallas Shared Ministries, and students from Wesley House, HPUMC’s college ministry, volunteered at K.B. Polk Elementary.
Alex Romig and Mary Ellen Shaver found out about Churchwide Serving Day through Wesley House and decided to serve this year. They worked in the care closet of K.B. Polk to organize uniforms, which would be provided to those in need free of charge.
“It’s rewarding knowing that I'm making a positive impact on other people,” Mary Ellen said.
Other service projects this Churchwide Serving Day included cleaning a waiting room, organizing a food pantry, arranging care packages for elders, preparing bags for Meals on Wheels routes, and more.
Churchwide Serving Day 2024 brought people of all backgrounds together to make an impact with HPUMC Outreach partners. While spread throughout Dallas, volunteers were making a collective difference, one day at a time.
