Church’s ‘Operation Love Your Neighbor’ Saturday
Serving God can sometimes stop at the perimeter of the church property, but today, March 5, 260 members of Cape Coral First United Methodist Church are moving out of the pews and into the streets of Cape Coral and Fort Myers. This concentrated effort is to meet people in Lee County at their point of need.
During the church’s fourth annual Operation Love Your Neighbor, church members will concentrate efforts on 17 service projects taking place that Saturday. The theme for this event is based on the words of Jesus when He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
There are 17 designated mission projects in which people have signed up to work, and will spread out across Cape Coral and Fort Myers communities to demonstrate the love of Jesus to neighbors.
Please join the congregation at its kickoff breakfast this morning in First United Methodist Church’s Social Hall at 4118 Coronado Parkway, Cape Coral, at 8:30 a.m.
During Sunday morning worship at both 8:45 and 11 worship services the church will celebrate the tremendous work God is doing in the community, with a weekly breakfast from 9:45-10:30 am for $3 per adult, children and students are free.
Complete list of teams/projects:
– CCMI is opening a Cape Coral location. A team will be cleaning and helping it get ready to open its doors to serving hot meals to homeless.
– Coupons for military. A team will take this project into Gulf Coast Village, to allow residents to work side-by-side clipping and sorting coupons to be provided to active and retired military.
– Destiny Diaper Bank. The warehouse will be re-organized on this date to better serve its clients needs for diapers and various baby clothing and items.
– HealthPark. Children in the oncology unit are oftentimes hospitalized for extended periods of time. This team will take crafts and books into the unit to offer a small diversion and smiles to very sick children and their families.
– Homebound visitation. Teams will cook meals and snacks to take into the homes of various Cape Coral residents who for one reason or another are no longer able to leave the confines of their homes.
– Barkley Place. This group will have an old-fashioned hymn sing with the residents of this local nursing home.
– Help a neighbor. Teams will fan out across Cape Coral to do light yardwork and home repair projects for those who need a helping hand.
– Fort Myers Academy for Arts and Sciences will have a new outdoor classroom to expand the learning environment beyond the walls of the typical classroom
– Gulf Coast Humane Society.
– Prayer. Teams will go into our community to hold prayer vigils for our Lee County friends and neighbors.
– Ronald McDonald House. Church members will provide dinner for the guests staying at this facility while they have sick relatives at Healthpark.
– Salvation Army is in critical need of socks, towels and washcloths. This team will collect donated items and provide to them.
– Personal Health Care Packages will be assembled and distributed to clients at Fort Myers’ Community Cooperative Ministries.
– Winkler Court. More than 100 assisted living facility residents will receive a visit from children and families in our church who will distribute Easter baskets to each resident.
– The Woodlands. Residents at this assisted living facility will play games and share smiles and laughter with church members who want to share the love of Jesus with strangers.
– Teams will bake homemade treats to take to staff at various local nursing home facilities to show appreciation for the love they give to special populations.
– Special Populations of Cape Coral. This City organization provides programming to specially abled citizens during the week, but during this special Saturday event, church members will love on the program participants, sharing smiles and laughter as they make St Patrick’s Day crafts together.