By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Short mission. Big results.
That’s how the members of Lakeview Community Church, 10023 S. State Road, Goodrich, have found a recent project reaching out to help kids in their own community this year.
Led by Pastor John Grimshaw, in June the church planned out a week of volunteer work in local Flint communities for their yearly ‘mission trip’, just as they did in 2016.
“We have gotten our youth group together every year to do a community outreach program,” said Jan Pasteiner, mission coordinator for Lakeview Community Church. “We’ve gone to Tennessee before, but we thought our resources were better served here at home.”
So, Pasteiner along with Grimshaw got together to find somewhere to serve, and decided on the Kearsley Creek apartment complex in Davison.
“The idea came to me when I came in contact with someone who lived there, and when I drove through the complex, noticed the number of kids’ bikes parked in all the bike racks,” said Grimshaw. “I knew there were a lot of kids, but I didn’t know if they would respond to any efforts on our part to reach out to them.” The first time visiting, they had snacks, drinks and a slip ‘n’ slide for the kids to play on. When they saw that most of the children got their lunch free from the Eastern Michigan food truck, they realized that what these kids needed was a meal on the days they didn’t always get one, and they vowed to go back.
“I didn’t think one day was enough to spend with these kids,” said Pasteiner.
As a church they decided that on the third Sunday of every month, they would go back, and have visited the complex in both August and September.
“Because of the strong response we received from that initial visit, we are now planning to return, and over the next few months, we’ll be developing a structured ministry to kids and their families, beginning with monthly activity day,” said Grimshaw. “It’s really about rethinking how the church will do ministry in the years to come. Society has changed, and it seems people no longer turn to the church as a first source of help when they have a need or crisis in their life.”
“Today there is a government program for everything, so people turn there first. So, if they aren’t coming to the church, the church must go to them, and that’s what we want to do. One of the side benefits for us as a church, is that this type of initiative allows a lot more people to be involved,” said Grimshaw.
They provide the kids with lunch made by volunteers, have a bible story, a movie, a craft and games. They plan to do this year round.
“They love it,” said Pasteiner. “And they look forward to it. They always ask if we’re coming back.”
Usually hosting around 30 kids throughout the day, the volunteers have just as much fun as the kids.
“They’re such well behaved kids,” she said. “We want to learn what we can about this community.”
Pasteiner, Grimshaw, and the rest of the volunteers have big dreams for the program. Pasteiner says, they would like to get a bus and renovate it to be able to go mobile. They have a canopy with sides so they could continue in the colder months, but a bus would give them more room and give them the ability to take this program to other communities as well.
“Our long term goal is to purchase a used school bus, and convert it to a mobile activity room with a big screen and projector, sound system, and room for the kids to sing and listen to stories,” said Grimshaw.
When it comes to how people can help their community, Pasteiner remembers a quote that she loves and has hung up in her office.
“Ordinary people who faithfully, diligently, and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.”
“People should just do what comes natural to them,” said Pasteiner. “You can never go wrong investing your time in kids. It takes a village, yes, but of the correct people.”