Lee Erwin reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – As we get into the fall season many people as well as organizations in Clarksville-Montgomery County are looking forward to a major event getting ready to take place. It’s the annual Operation Serve with Grace Community Church.
Grace Community Church is celebrating its eighth year in September and Pastor Michael Bayne talked about the ministry. “We were just a church that was founded just to be a light in the community and to really just to reach out to our city and provide a different experience,” said Pastor Bayne.
Operation Serve is set for Saturday, September 28 and is the signature event for the church which involves hundreds of volunteers spreading out across the community. The volunteers share their skills and show their support for people as well as local organizations in need of help.
The day starts off with a send-off rally at 8:00 a.m. at Kenwood High School with worship and encouragement for all of the volunteers. They will then connect with their project leaders and head to one or more of around 30 different locations in the community to make a difference.
Some of the organizations and projects benefitting from this year’s Operation Serve include the F.U.E.L. Program, Humane Society of Clarksville-Montgomery County, Manna Café, Buddy Ball, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Tabernacle Christian School and the Salvation Army.
One of the largest individual projects of Operation Serve is the Extreme Neighborhood Makeover which takes place both Friday and Saturday as volunteers make much-needed repairs and updates to several homes in Clarksville. Pastor Bayne said they will be working on around 10 different houses.
“We are doing things that need to be done for folks in the community really because we can. They need the help and we can go in and we can make a difference in their life. We’re just all over the community and doing things in a way that we can actually just show people the love of Jesus instead of just telling them,” Pastor Bayne said.
Grace Community Church meets at Kenwood High School, 251 E. Pine Mountain Road and Rossview High School, 1237 Rossview Road. To learn more about the church ministry or Operation Serve phone the church office at 931-647-6800 or visit www.gcomchurch.com.