Members of CrossWay International Community Church, in Owings Mills, put their faith into action.

The 50-member congregation canceled their regular Sunday service Oct. 12, and instead, practiced acts of kindness.

Congregation members cleaned, painted and performed other chores at the Best Care Assisted Living Center, in Reisterstown.
 
They also filled shoe boxes with toiletries, toys, markers, crayons, coloring books and other things children would like, for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief agency. The boxes will be shipped at Christmastime to needy children throughout the world, said Karen Nelson, a spokeswoman for the church.

The Rev. Robert McKoy, pastor of CrossWay, said he was pleased at how the congregation rallied to support the special day of service.

“Our theme for the weekend was, ‘Don’t go to church, be the church,’ ” he said.

The congregation’s generosity with their time was infectious — some of those working that day were not members of CrossWay, but volunteered because “they saw the value of what we were doing,” McKoy said.

He said Catherine Best, the owner of Best Care, couldn’t believe it when the workers arrived.

“I think she was expecting five or 10 people to show up. She seemed overwhelmed by the presence of about 25 people.”

Best said the work CrossWay members performed on the Best Care building — a three-story, 100-year-old Victorian — uplifted everyone’s spirits.

The whole front porch was filled with workers who cleaned the deck and painted rockers and windows, she said.
The house wasn’t in shambles, “but with 15 residents, some in wheelchairs, others with walkers,” it needed some work, she said. “Everything looks so crisp.”

McKoy said residents came out to talk to the church members while they were working, and after, too.
The idea to work instead or worship isn’t new, McKoy said, but Sunday was the first time his congregation held an “out of service” day.

“When we first talked about it, people said OK,” McKoy said, but their excitement grew once they got to work.
Nelson described the congregation’s mood after the day of service as “psyched.”

McKoy said that, next year, he’d like to expand the day of service to other churches in the community.

“It would be great if 10 to 15 churches could volunteer their services to the community for a day,” he said.

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