On Sunday, August 25th 2024, volunteers from the Church of God in Cerritos, Torrance, Los Angeles, and Orange County gathered together for the 8,263rd Worldwide Cleanup Campaign at South Gate Park. From the morning hours, more than 160 volunteers arrived with bright smiles on their faces and enthusiasm for the united goal to display God’s glory and to serve the local community.
Upon arrival, the park was already teeming with many South Gate residents taking their morning stroll, participating in lively community sports, or spending leisure time with family. Their curiosity about a group of vibrant volunteers in bright shirts moved them to ask about the volunteers’ purpose, to which volunteers were able to boast about the Church of God that aims to spread Mother’s love.
Preparation for the Cleanup
In preparation for the cleanup, the Cerritos Public Relations team contacted the Manager of Parks and Recreation to ask if there is a need for a cleanup in the South Gate area. He responded, “We haven’t had much groups volunteer this summer to clean our parks, so we would gladly accept your help! There tends to be a lot more trash and litter on the weekends when there are many sports games.”
Additionally, the Public Relations team contacted various city council members, and made official announcements about the event at bi-weekly council meetings for South Gate and Cerritos. “The reason I am here today is to first introduce you to the Church of God, to share about the extensive philanthropic work we carry out to embrace the global community as our own family, and to request your partnership and endorsement to serve our South Gate community,” stated Susanne Fermin. “Our mission is to spread happiness to all humankind with Mother’s love.” City council members were so pleased to hear about the various volunteer work carried out by Church of God volunteers all throughout the world, and expressed their gratitude and approval. Upon completion of the event, they wish to express their endorsement by granting an official certificate of recognition to the volunteers for their partnership to work towards a happier and brighter South Gate.
Volunteers’ smiles are contagious
During the cleanup, South Gate police officers patrolling the area took notice to the large group of members dispersed throughout the park. They found the volunteers’ cheerful smiles to be contagious, as they returned the warm greetings and asked where the group came from. “We’re from the Church of God! We have over 7,500 churches in 175 countries, and we came here today to do a park cleanup,” one member shared. “That’s really awesome! Thank you for coming out to volunteer for us,” the police officer responded. Residents also expressed their thanks and smiled at the volunteers for making the playgrounds, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, and parking lots especially cleaner.
At the conclusion of the cleanup, volunteers gathered more than 50 bags of trash, including plastic litter and dangerous materials that would pose a threat, especially to children playing in the park. Employees from Parks and Recreation were appreciative of the collective and efficient efforts of all the volunteers, and quickly transported the trash bags for disposal. The members congratulated one another on the opportunity to unite together for the cleanup, and felt especially fulfilled to give glory to God through their actions. “I feel proud to be a part of such an amazing church that is making a positive impact and changing the world for the better,” said Berlen Mak.
A worldwide effort
This event was not the only volunteer event hosted by the World Mission Society Church of God, in which the purpose was to reduce waste, create a better environment, and clean our local communities. Amazingly, this one event was one contribution to a worldwide united effort, where churches around the whole world are carrying out humanitarian efforts. In the past couple months, the Church of God carried out the “Erasing Plastic Footprints” campaign in celebration of World Environment Day, as well as the church’s “Global Hope Challenge,” a global social contribution campaign to mark the 60th anniversary of the Church’s establishment. The campaign ran from June 16 to July 8 across more than 10 countries, including Republic of Korea, Nepal, Malaysia, India, the United States, and Brazil.
Church of God volunteers will continue to give glory to our Heavenly Father and Mother by putting God’s words into practice and uniting with one another to spread hope and happiness to all the world. We pray that all people around the world may be moved to be involved with their local communities and spread the love of God to the whole world.
