Compass Church to hold community-wide service day in Cape Girardeau

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — Compass Church will replace its traditional Sunday worship service with a community-wide day of service in Cape Girardeau next month.

The church will host its “Worship Without Walls” event Sept. 6, with participants volunteering at several locations and organizations throughout the community. The event is open to anyone, regardless of religious background or previous involvement with a church.

Instead of meeting for a traditional service, participants will take part in projects including volunteering with animals at SEMO Pets, assembling hygiene kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief and hosting a mobile food pantry.

Other projects include praying for students, faculty and staff at Southeast Missouri State University and preparing care baskets for local first responders.

The event is the third installment of Worship Without Walls, which Compass Church says was created as a way for members to put their faith into practice through service.

“We want to be a church that doesn’t just talk about loving our neighbors, but actually gets out into the community and does it,” Compass Church Lead Pastor Jennifer Long said. “When we gather to serve, we’re creating space for more people to experience God’s love, and not just inside a church building, but where they are.”

Long said the event is also intended to connect with people who may be skeptical of organized religion but still value compassion and service.

“At the same time, they’re still drawn to the way of Jesus, especially when it shows up as compassion, generosity, and love in action,” Long said. “We want to create space for that.”

Those interested in participating can learn more about the service projects and register through Compass Church’s website: Compasscg.org