Christian volunteers' good works ease cultural divide in Portland area Instead of showing up at the schoolhouse with pamphlets and preachers, evangelical Christians throughout the area are showing up to campuses with shovels and paint cans. They're pushing free medical and dental services instead of tithe envelopes. They're serving meals that consist of more than communion wafers. In a region known for being one of the least-churched in the nation, churchgoers here are doing a good job putting Oregon's faith community on the map. Who knows: With a few more Seasons of Service under its belt, Portland soon could be known for an abundance of Bible-based benevolence in addition to beer and bicycles. The 2009 Season of Service, organized by the Luis Palau Association, based in Beaverton, wraps up in October with a pile of good deeds, satisfied recipients and national recognition. Recent articles in Christianity Today and USA Today have publicized Portland-area churchgoers' passion for passing time in service to others. The July issue of Reader's Digest named Portland's Season of Service the nation's "best group service project." The faith-based effort that emphasizes service instead of sermons deserves to be a hero in its hometown, too. In last year's six-month Season of Service, 550 local churches, 68 nonprofits and businesses and 27,000 volunteers took on 300 good deeds in the community. Portland Public Schools estimated that the 2008 Season of Service school clean-up projects saved the school district more than $480,000 in labor and landscaping costs. This was the second year of the Season of Service, which organizers describe as "putting the love of Jesus Christ into action as the physical needs of a community are met." Numbers are still being crunched for 2009, but this year's effort started with a $100,000 check from 15 area churches to the city of Portland. Money was used to help public school students and the city's homeless population. In August alone, more than 5,000 volunteers helped spruce up 70-plus school campuses from Gresham to Hillsboro and stuffed 1,500 backpacks full of school supplies for children in need. (No pamphlets about eternity in there, just school supplies.) Perhaps best of all, Season of Service events have helped connect public schools with churches that are willing and able to offer ongoing, year-round support. "Sometimes by calling it a 'season' of service there is an unintended consequence of having people quit serving when the season ends," Kevin Palau, executive vice president of the Luis Palau Association and son of the organization's founder, said Wednesday. "We are trying to get the Christian community to adopt a lifestyle of service. The Season of Service from May through October is just an extra push. It highlights the value of service and of focused, collaborative service in those months." While plenty of churches and individual Christians have always done good deeds around town, combining forces brings about projects large enough to create new and important relationships. It has put city leaders, including Portland Mayor Sam Adams, in direct communication with citizens who want to make a difference -- with no political or religious strings attached. Instead of telling a community what it needs and offering help with a side of testimony, Season of Service organizers ask communities what they need and then get to work. The preach-free service model is a perfect fit here. It has allowed schools and city partners to feel comfortable accepting the assistance. That might be one of the most interesting parts of the Season of Service story: Not only did a bunch of Christian do-gooders offer to help their cities and neighborhoods, these largely unchurched cities and neighborhoods -- full of people who are skeptical or even antagonistic toward evangelicals -- let them. (If you've been through an election cycle here, you know what an accomplishment it is to see ideological opposites playing nicely together on Portland's playgrounds.) As much as community members and leaders can be grateful for upgrades to school grounds, free health care clinics and cash flowing from churches to city causes, Season of Service organizers and participants were given a gift, too. And they seem grateful to cities and schools for helping them live out what it is they believe they are called to do: Serve others as Jesus did, let "love" be a verb and allow actions to speak louder than words. The 2009 Season of Service ends Oct. 31, having painted a picture of love in action at one school, one city and one outreach project at a time. Look forward to next year's masterpiece. Elizabeth Hovde writes a Sunday column for The Oregonian and also posts during the week on oregonlive.com/thestump. Reach her at ehovde@earthlink.net |
