By Stephanie Rosic
Portland Covenant Church canceled our church service, but this time it wasn’t for Covid, or a surprise snowstorm. That Sunday, the church congregation and residents of King Community, where Portland Covenant is located, gathered together outside to serve the King neighborhood, while also honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his life of leadership, service, and commitment to justice.
Equipped with buckets, bags, and pickers, 75 volunteers hit the streets to clean up their neighborhood and community. Walking up to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School the group was instructed by longtime Portland Covenant member and Founder of Neighbors helping Neighbors, Terrance Moses. As someone who has served the houseless community for years by picking up trash from the houseless and disposing of it on their behalf, Terrance was uniquely equipped to aid the greater King community in leading those gathered for this task.
Spread out over a 25 square block area, congregants and residents walked together, collecting trash along the way. Cars pulled to the side, rolling down their windows to thank those that were making the place they lived in cleaner, safer, and more beautiful. Residents came outside to greet those collecting trash, eager to learn the reason behind this undertaking in their neighborhood. As people slowly returned to Portland Covenant to drop off their full buckets, we gathered to eat lunch together and share stories from our experience. At the end of the day, participants had collected 600 pounds of trash from the King neighborhood streets.
Canceling service may seem like a difficult choice in this current climate. But grace and love propel us not only into the streets but to think practically today about acts of service for the communities we all live in. With souls motivated by love, and hearts full of grace, even beautifying a few city blocks becomes a radical act of service as we honor the place and the people we live among.
Visit Portland Covenant Church’s Facebook Group to see more pictures from the event
Visit the Portland Covenant Church website for more information about the church