Southern Hills Community Church (Mike Stern, pastor), a Grace Brethren church in North Royalton/Strongsville, Ohio, recently impacted its community with a “Compassion Sunday.”
“Small things done with great love will change the world.” That’s what the folks at Southern Hills Community Church believe and strive to live out daily. It’s also the reason they engage in regular compassion projects such as this year’s second annual Compassion Sunday, a unique affair held Sunday, May 4, to serve local residents.
Sunday morning services were cancelled in favor of giving back to the community. Special events for the morning, running from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, included two $1 car washes (we gave the dollar), a work project at Camp Cheerful, a visit by the kids’ worship team to Royalton Woods Assisted Living, and a gas buy-down at the Bennett’s Corner Circle K.
The gas buy-down saved residents 50 cents per gallon for a maximum of 10 gallons per vehicle, the pumps pre-adjusted for the reduction and 10-gallon fill-up. All residents had to do was pull up and save. And, Fox 8 News was there to cover the event!
What was the catch? There wasn’t one. It was simply an opportunity to reach out and demonstrate compassion–putting faith to work in tangible ways. That’s been the goal at past events, as well, which have included giving food and clothes to the homeless at Public Square, serving meals to the hungry at Village Grace and performing various tasks at the Family Oaks Center in Brunswick.
Each week, lead pastor Mike Stern emphasizes the church’s “motto” and the axiom expressed through the lives of its members, “Passion for God – Compassion for People.” At Southern Hills, church is all about relationships, not religion.
To see the Fox News segment on the day, click here.