Elgin residents can get help, prayers at Love Elgin Day

More than two dozen local churches will drop denominational differences to serve struggling families together at Love Elgin Day, a special outreach on Saturday, April 28, in downtown Elgin.

The churches will be assisted by local government, social service agencies and businesses, and the goal is to bless a thousand Elgin residents or more. Under-resourced families and individuals are invited to come for free groceries, clothing and a variety of professional services and resources at four neighboring churches within walking distance of each other.

Attendees begin at Vineyard Church of Elgin, 220 Division St., and continue on to Family Life Church, 270 E. Chicago St.; First Congregational Church, 256 E. Chicago St., and First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave. The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. event will take on a festive atmosphere, with music in several locations, and with Division Street closed to traffic between Center and Spring streets.

Besides foods, personal hygiene items, gently used clothing and shoes, guests can receive free medical screenings and exams, pregnancy ultrasounds and professional legal counsel on immigration and other issues. They can take advantage of a little pampering, too: free haircuts, cosmetic makeovers, manicures and massages.

Stations will be set up for bicycle repair and simple automotive checkups, and resources will be available for addiction recovery and intervention, gang awareness, job and college searches and other needs.

On top of that, everyone gets a free lunch, and guests will hear a message about the love of God. They’ll also have the opportunity to receive personal prayer for their individual situations.

Love Elgin Day was initiated by Pastor Jeorge Holmes, a native Elginite who brought pastoral leadership to Highland Christian Academy and Highland Fellowship Church from 2005 to 2010.

“The need is so real in our community,” Holmes said. “Fifteen percent are living below the poverty level, many don’t have health insurance, and over 12 percent don’t have jobs. That’s 15,000 unemployed.

“People are troubled and need a helping hand. The government can help, but it is not the solution,” Holmes said. “As followers of Jesus and his kingdom, we consider it our responsibility to step up and lead the charge to see people’s needs met with the love of Christ in our hearts.”

Love Elgin Day brings together a couple hundred volunteers from traditional, evangelical and charismatic church backgrounds. At least a dozen different denominations, as well as numerous nondenominational churches and house churches, will be working side by side to serve the needy — and developing friendships as they do.

“It is God’s desire and design for us to put aside our ‘nonessentials’ and unite with the love of Jesus Christ for all people,” Holmes said. “This is our vision — to see the church unite, work together, blast the walls of division and be about the kingdom of God, which is bigger than any denomination.”

The outreach also is made possible by the many business professionals, social service agencies and government entities who are lending either time, talent or support. Among participating organizations are Administer Justice, Centro de Información, Alcoholics Anonymous, Kane County Health Department and others.

The city of Elgin is supportive, too, and the Elgin police and fire departments will be on hand to provide resources on safety issues, neighborhood awareness and fire prevention.

“Love Elgin Day is the first step in creating a coalition of faith-based organizations to help address both the current and future needs of our city,” said Mayor Dave Kaptain. “The future of Elgin will be local government, social services and faith-based organizations working together within their own groups to become more efficient, and ultimately working together to build a better community.”

Holmes’ hope for the future of Love Elgin Day is that it will become a regular outreach and an ongoing influence in the community. The follow-up team will help people connect to resources, businesses and churches to help bring stability to families with ongoing needs. Holmes also envisions the local churches in other nearby communities joining together to bless their own neighbors, just as Love Elgin Day itself was modeled after two ministries in Wisconsin and California.

Weather permitting, some events will be set up outdoors, but rain or shine, the event will take place as scheduled. All distributions will be made on a first-come-first-served basis.

For more information about Love Elgin Day, visit www.loveelginday.org.