I was out walking my dog before the snow hit today, and ran into a group of 8 members from Mars Hill Church who were out volunteering their weekend time to help out a neighbor and spruce up a part of 22nd Avenue in the process. In a short time they had filled an entire pickup truck with leaves they had raked up from a CD resident’s yard.
Ian Shafer, one of the leaders of the effort, said that this is the 3rd time they’ve gotten together to help out this year. The volunteers have a simple process for deciding where to spend their time: they just keep their eyes out for people and properties that could use a helping hand.
In spite of the various issues we have from time to time in the neighborhood, it’s really cool to get a reminder of how many helpful and generous people we have around us.
I’m more than a little suspicious of anything Mars Hill is involved with. Those guys are about as fundamentalist as it gets. People getting involved with their community is one thing, missionaries on the block is another.