Taking the church outside its sanctuary

The offer to pay for someone’s laundry, then help them fold it and carry it to their car in a new laundry basket, replacing the plastic trash bag they brought in with them — that’s one of more than 60 mission projects carried out Sunday morning.

Sandra Hemphill, her husband, Gary, and Beth Schmidt have helped people at the laundromat for four Mission JC events now.

“The laundromat is the crossroads of a community,” Gary said.

What brings back these dedicated volunteers is the one-on-one communication they have with the individuals they are serving, he said.

“Usually, when people are at the laundromat, they have more than one thing going on in their life,” Gary said.

By the time these Christians can explain they are there to help, many customers are in tears at the generosity, Sandra said. Some have said they didn’t know how they would be able to pay for clean clothes and the evening meal, she said.

“It doesn’t take them long to embrace this is God’s gift today,” Sandra said.

In its fourth year, Mission JC sent teams from three to 24 across the city to parks, schools, not-for-profit agencies, senior adult sites and other miscellaneous locations.

“We’re serving the community in a place you might not expect to see us,” Schmidt said of the laundromat.

But that is part of the goal of Mission JC, to take the universal church outside of its sanctuary walls for a Sunday morning.

“The (traditional indoor) worship service isn’t really my thing,” said Jeff Feeler, team leader at the Southwest Early Childhood Center. “But this is worship, too; we’re just doing it out here.”

At the Southwest location, volunteers were mulching, trimming and adding a new flower bed. A landscaper by trade, Feeler said he enjoys using his unique gifts to serve others through the church.

“Nobody possesses the power the churches do, if they want to do something,” Feeler said. “If we could get all the churches involved, what an example that would be on how to take care of the city.

“I think that’s what the Bible tells us to do.”

That was the message that sent out more than 600 believers, from children to senior citizens, from the Capitol lawn at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning. Combined with the 350 volunteers who worked on similar service projects Saturday as part of Serve Jeff City, that makes nearly 1,000 individuals working together for the benefit of the community, said Mission JC organizer Melissa Hatfield.

“It’s a beautiful day to share God’s love with our community,” Hatfield said at the opening worship. “Look with the eyes that God has for our neighbors, and shower them with grace.”

At Lincoln University, the student center ballroom was filled with the smell of sausage and pancakes. But it was the university’s Blue Tiger football team — about 50 in all — who turned out to support their community at the pancake breakfast.

“The Lincoln football team always is looking to support the community,” said senior Leangelo Bradley. “Part of coming to Lincoln is to step outside your comfort zone. Our coaches have taught us to be more do-ers.”

The nearly 60 Mission JC projects Sunday included baking, playing with animals, mulching and other yardwork, building clean up, a blood drive, games and Bible stories, serving breakfast, shopping, home repairs, helping elderly, smoke detector installation, paying for laundry, writing notes of encouragement, picking up trash, gift wrapping, on-site prayer, furniture construction, helping with craft projects, visiting homebound, making lap robes and assembling Red Cross Comfort Kits.

Participating churches this year were: Central United Church of Christ, Community Christian Church, Familia Cristiana Church, First Baptist Church-Jefferson City, First Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, Memorial Baptist Church and Southridge Baptist Church.

Adding three more churches raised the participation from 450 last year. Some congregations choose to cancel their Sunday morning program for this day, and others encourage members to do either one, Hatfield said.

“This is beyond anything we had hoped,” she said. “It’s beautiful. We’ve gone from one to eight churches of different denominations but with the same heart to give back to this city.”

On the web: www.missionjc.org