Cape Girardeau church takes worship into community through day of service

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — Compass Church members traded a traditional Sunday service for hands-on work across Cape Girardeau as part of the church’s third Worship Without Walls event.

Church members spread out to several locations Sunday, helping with a mobile food pantry, assembling hygiene kits for disaster relief, preparing baskets for first responders and volunteering with animals at SEMO Pets.

At Grace United Methodist Church, volunteers helped distribute 200 boxes of food provided by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, totaling about 4,000 pounds.

Kelly Peoples, a Compass Church volunteer who organized the mobile pantry, said the need is close to home.

“It’s really important for people to come out and help their neighbors,” Peoples said. “We have plenty of need here at home, too. I mean, everybody goes to the store, they see how expensive things are. We’re all kind of feeling pinched right now.”

Inside the church, another group assembled hygiene kits that will be distributed through the United Methodist Committee on Relief to communities affected by disasters.

Others prepared baskets for Cape Girardeau police officers and firefighters using donations and giving from within the church.

“Today we’re serving those that serve us,” Compass Church member Jerry Siemers said. “I’ve been a firefighter for 42 years with Gordonsville Fire Department. And so today we are taking these goodie baskets to the fire department and to the police department here in Cape.”

Across town, younger church members volunteered at SEMO Pets, spending time with animals, helping people interested in adoption and making enrichment toys with supplies provided by the Humane Society.

Compass Church volunteer Amy Brookeover said the variety of projects reflects the range of needs throughout the community.

“I think there’s always, always places of need,” Brookeover said. “Whether it’s animals, whether it’s kids, whether it’s homeless situations, elderly people … there’s always a need.”

Worship Without Walls is designed to replace the church’s traditional Sunday gathering with service projects throughout the community. Organizers say the event is open to people regardless of their religious background or previous involvement with the church.

“We’re here for the community,” Siemers said. “We don’t want to be known as a specific building or anything like that. We want to be known by our actions and what we do for the community.”

Organizers say they hope to continue connecting people with volunteer opportunities and needs throughout Cape Girardeau.

People interested in future Worship Without Walls projects can learn more through Compass Church at compasscg.org/worshipwithoutwalls.