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Story | Old Union Christian Church

Faith in Action Is “Outside the Box”

Old Union Christian Church in Lawson, Missouri was looking for something outside of the traditional religious box...

“We had been looking for something outside the traditional religious box to help us focus on reaching out to our community,” said Mike Polo, pastor at Old Union Christian Church in Lawson, Missouri. “Faith in Action provided what we were looking for.”

Pastor Mike used the Faith in Action kit’s planning guide and formed a leadership team that brainstormed and decided on the various projects to minister in this small village of about 2,500 people. “Our goal was to provide a variety of projects so that everyone who wanted to participate could find something that they were able to do,” he explained.

Teams worked at two community betterment projects, doing painting and repair work at City Hall and in a city park. Other teams cut down trees and brush at the homes of two elderly citizens. “One had a tree that loomed dangerously over the house,” Pastor Mike recalled. “In fact, after a recent ice storm, she called the church to thank us again, saying that if that tree had still been there, it would have come down on her house.”

In other projects, teams provided continental breakfasts at the police and fire stations. Kids sang and distributed small gifts in a local retirement home. Other teams assembled care packages going to two different groups: one to a nearby state youth facility for troubled teens, and another to local residents or family members who were deployed through the military. Still another team opened a temporary car care clinic, providing light repairs and oil changes for the elderly, disabled, and wives of deployed military members.

Response was overwhelmingly positive: “Everyone had a great time and was excited afterwards,” said Pastor Mike. They also received thank-you letters from their local mayor, police chief and city council, thanking them for their hard work.

Other area churches were intrigued with Old Union Church’s community service. “They saw us out in the community on Sunday morning in our brightly colored t-shirts, working, and said they’d like to join in and serve with us when we do this again,” said Pastor Mike. So he is currently in the planning stage for their next Faith in Action Day – or “Be the Church Day”, as they call it – researching and lining up new projects for a whole group of churches who are ready to put their faith in action.