McCandless church serves those in need with Love Local Day

A local church took its ministry outside its doors last month to help others.

Memorial Park Church, located in McCandless, holds its annual Love Local Day where its members go to places that may need help in any way, according to Kevin Steele, local outreach coordinator at the church.

This year’s event was May 13.

Love Local Day began a few years ago when a group of local churches in the area got together to help its neighbors.

“The thought was what would it be like if a large number of Christians reached out one Saturday to our communities to serve them. That day we went to local nursing homes, parks, homes, a local synagogue and anywhere else there was a need. Fences were repaired, homes were cleaned, hospital patients were visited, shut-ins were cared for and so on,” Steele said.

Memorial Park Church kept the tradition going itself, renaming it Love Local Day two years ago.

This year’s list of do-good events was diverse, according to Steele.

At Garfield Community Farms, in the Garfield area of Pittsburgh, volunteers put in a gate, weeded knotweed and set out perennials.

A section of a community garden was cleared at the Mosaic Community Church in the North Side of Pittsburgh that had been ignored for years, he said.

Volunteers prepared lunches at the church of the Light of Life Rescue Mission, while kids of the MPC Children’s Ministry made cards. The event was a way for volunteers and their families to work together to make meals for the homeless men, women and children staying at the mission in Pittsburgh, Steele said.

A group assisted Alliance Stamp ministry by cutting out canceled stamps to pay for audio communications for Spanish-speaking people to hear about the Gospel. Alliance Stamp ministry is part of the Alliance Women nonprofit ministry located in Florida, and the church has been working with them for years, according to Memorial Park Church communications director Katie James.

Volunteers also collected trash at Riverview Park.

“Riverview Park is a beautiful asset on the North Side, and we sought to improve its appeal by cleaning up the litter in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy,” Steele said.

A group also helped clear brush from Duncan Heights Cemetery in McCandless.

Local middle and high school students who are church members sponsored a free car wash, advertising the event at the intersection of Peebles and Duncan roads.

“People can’t believe it when we don’t even accept free-will donations. Just a nice way to reach out to the community and let them know we care,” Steele said.

MPC volunteers prepared meals for Living in Liberty, an organization for women trying to break free from human trafficking.

Church volunteers also assisted at the nonprofit, Repurposed, a thrift store in Ross Township that supports Living in Liberty by cleaning the store and setting out clothes for sale. Living in Liberty is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Gary Volz, director of Repurposed, said the volunteers help spread the word of the store’s purpose to help others.

“They did a good job and were enthusiastic and took pride in what they did like our employees,” Volz said. “It inspires others.”

Marilyn McManus, a member of Memorial Park Church and volunteer, said it’s a great way to represent their faith to the community and loving those in need.

“This year I had the privilege of working with a group at Repurposed where we had the opportunity to help clean up the racks on the sales floor, put new arrivals on hangars and incorporate them onto the racks on the sales floor. Other volunteers also helped to tidy up the stockroom,” McManus said.

The group finds projects by asking local organizations, churches and nonprofit agencies.

Steele said volunteers help these groups because “they spend all their time, money and effort helping others, so we clean their buildings, do volunteer work for them” and more.

He said it’s what Jesus called them to do.

“(It’s) to help those who need help, to assist agencies and organizations whose mission it is to help others, especially those people who have been marginalized,” he said.