Members of the Church of God in Santee work together with the San Diego Riverpark Foundation to clean Forester Creek
The Church of God in Santee united with other Church of God members from all over San Diego County to participate in the “Good Samaritan Movement” taking place all over the world. Volunteers worked hard to improve the environmental conditions in their communities with the goal to share God the Mother’s love with all mankind. With the heart of Mother, over 350 local church members joined the movement in Santee and did just that.
Though Forester Creek is located in the City of Santee, the water flows into the San Diego River. The environmental conditions of Forrester Creek can have a vast impact on the river. After heavy rains, there is an urgent need to clean out all of the trash that washes into the creek. Unless it is cleaned out regularly, the natural habitat will be destroyed, contaminating the San Diego River. Church volunteers worked together and removed more than 3,500 pounds of trash and debris. Among the debris were six shopping carts that had become wedged into the bottom of the river bed. The members of the Church of God provided more than 1,000 hours of community service through their efforts. They did all of this with a heart full of joy and smiles on their faces.
The City of Santee was appreciative of the hard-working church members
The clean up was especially appreciated by city workers. One City of Santee employee expressed his amazement at the efficiency of the volunteers. He was impressed with how well they worked together to clean the area. The city workers were extremely happy to have such a caring group help clean the river bed. Knowing that it is not an easy job, they acknowledged that it would have taken months for them to accomplish what the volunteers from the Church of God completed in less than one day.
Those who lived in the neighborhood were also touched by the hard work and smiling faces of the church members. The volunteers shouted “We Love You!” to a local resident walking down Prospect Ave. He was so happy and thankful of the work they were doing that he shouted back, “I love you more!” Even two local San Diego news stations wanted to broadcast the great deeds of the cleanup volunteers.
Church of God in Santee receives City Proclamation for their community service efforts
As a result of their efforts, on August 27, 2014 the city of Santee presented the Church of God members with a city proclamation. The proclamation was presented for the great efforts the volunteers made in order to clean up the river bed. Mayor Randy Voepel added to the presentation by stating, “Volunteers came together in unity and participated in this event to show love to their neighbors and let them know that they truly care about their community and the people who live in it.”
The Church of God in Santee carries out these cleanups in hopes of setting a good example in the community. Following the example that Christ left, they are doing their part in being good Samaritans. They are taking the lead in cleaning up the neighborhood and making their local community a better place to live. Putting the teachings of Christ into practice, the church members continuously share the love of God the Father and God the Mother with the world.
