World Mission Society Church of God

CHURCH OF GOD VOLUNTEERS TO CARRY OUT YARD CLEAN UP FOR SENIORS

On the morning of November 20th, 2016, seventy volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God united for a senior citizen yard clean up in Middletown. The volunteers had long awaited the event after weeks of reaching out to develop positive relationships with their neighbors and the community.

The Church of God volunteers formed 7 teams and supported 10 homes with raking, bagging leaves, removing tree branches and general yard maintenance. Most of the homes had signed up for assistance beforehand, and some were even found opportunities on that very day. Clad in orange vests, once the various teams began work in the community, intrigued neighbors approached to ask if they, too, could have some help with their yard. The volunteers were more than happy to serve even more of the neighborhood:

One of the residents, Lois Detullio, shared that she had recently injured her ankle, and wasn’t able to tend to her beautiful yard as she had used to every year. So when she heard a knock on her door from the Church of God volunteers, the invitation was welcomed with open arms. Lois genuinely hugged each member of the team, remarking, “Wonderful, wonderful young people! I am so blessed; it was meant for me to be home today. I wanted to do something for the youth group and the youth group came to me!”

The clean-up team got to work straight away, but even after an hour and a half of removing the leaves, it seemed there might not be enough time to clear the whole yard, since a full night of rain had compacted the layers of leaves on top of each other. Just then, the volunteer team received calls from other groups who had finished their assigned homes, and were heading over to help. Lois was comforted by the news, and even began preparing hot chocolate and snacks for each of the volunteers.

Once all the teams united together, Lois’ yard and garden were revealed at long last, and everyone gathered to take a picture in front of the mountain of leaves that had risen higher than the cars parked on the street. Lois’ husband, Joseph Detullio was also delighted by the work, “I can’t believe you did all that in two hours; I’ve been out there two weeks! God bless you all.”

Lois and Joseph invited the Church of God volunteers into their home for hot chocolate, snacks, and welcome conversation. After seeing how the Church of God received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in Time Magazine, she said, “Thank God, and you deserve it, you really do. You are a blessing, every one of you.”

As the teams were committed to finishing what they started, the revitalized volunteers concluded by doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. “My gosh, and they clean up too. I can’t wait to spread the word about you folks,” Lois commented. The residents and volunteers alike were deeply impacted by the shared joy of community, which resonated in their hearts for days to come. Lois couldn’t let the volunteers leave without one more message of thanks, “This is beautiful. You’ve gone above and beyond. You know, with all that’s happening today, you people are a blessing. You have a gift, you all do. God has blessed each and every one of you. Let’s hope the rest of the youth of Middletown gets in on this!”

The World Mission Society Church of God is actively carrying out diverse voluntary services everywhere in the global village. From hosting mega blood donation campaigns to delivering relief goods and financial aid to tsunami, hurricane and earthquake victims, the members of the Church of God are always willing to lend a hand to their neighbors and communities.

The Church of God received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service—the most prestigious volunteer award in the United Kingdom—leading 2.7 million global members to recommit to volunteering in their communities. As a result, the Church of God launched a multi-state public awareness campaign emphasizing volunteerism. Receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service has motivated Church of God members around the world to continue serving their local communities.

About the World Mission Society Church of God:
The World Mission Society Church of God is a faith-based, non-profit organization that spreads God’s love through good deeds. Established in 1964, the Church of God has more than 2,700 locations in 175 countries with 2.7 million members. The Church of God conducts volunteer service in disaster relief, environmental protection, blood drives, social welfare, smile campaigns and healing through art. For more information, visit connecticut.wmschurchofgod.org or its social media sites, Facebook and Twitter.

.MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Gubbins at World Mission Society Church of God, (860) 808-8466.