Local church takes the day to give back

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By BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star

The sign said, “Car Wash $1.00.”

What a bargain, Amy Harris thought.

So she pulled her car into the bank parking lot, where eager volunteers from Christ’s Place Church shampooed, scrubbed and rinsed her car to a gleaming shine.

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Christ Place Church member Molly Bouc washes a car on Sunday. The church cancelled services for the day and organized community activities to give back.A dollar was given to each customer of the car wash. (GWYNETH ROBERTS)

Christ Place Church member Molly Bouc washes a car on Sunday. The church cancelled services for the day and organized community activities to give back.A dollar was given to each customer of the car wash. (GWYNETH ROBERTS)

She pulled out her dollar and was ready to pay, but Lori Renaud, one of the volunteers, handed Harris a dollar bill instead.

She told Harris to give the dollar to someone else who could use it.

“That’s awesome,” Harris responded.

That was a typical reaction from motorists who stopped to take advantage of what they thought was a cheap car wash.

“We are not here to make money,” Renaud said. “We just tell people to pass (the dollar) on to someone who could use it. We’re here just to bless the city of Lincoln.”

The unique twist on a car wash fund-raiser was part of No Church Sunday at Christ’s Place, 1111 Old Cheney Rd.

About 650 church members participated. Instead of attending worship services Sunday, they did service projects in the community.

Besides the “pay-it-forward” car washes at two south Lincoln banks, church members worked clearing weeds and pruning bushes at Park Middle School; painting, helping serve meals and sorting clothing at the People’s City Mission; cleaning up and sorting donations at the Crisis Pregnancy Center; helping some elderly couples with home fix-up and yard work; organizing a teen brigade to pick of trash in southwest Lincoln; and helping clean up several city parks and trails.

Church members also provided food and fellowship for a free neighborhood barbecue at 11th and E streets, at a house that is the new home of the Nebraska Family Council and House of Prayer.

The idea of everyone doing service projects came from a book the whole congregation has been studying, “The Externally Focused Church,” by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson.

“It’s about getting the church outside your four walls and blessing the community,” said Al Riskowski, executive director of the Family Council and a member of the church.

“We were just trying to find a way to really act out what we’re talking about,” said Ciana Cloud, a member of the committee that planned the projects.

The car wash at Wells Fargo Bank, 39th Street and Old Cheney Rd., was run by the Renaud family — Lori, Jim, their two teenagers and a teenage friend.

After a slow start, they had a steady stream of customers. Most were pleasantly surprised when they didn’t have to pay.

“You have no idea how much this helps me out,” said Tamara Schmeling, who had two young children in the back seat. “I never have time to get it done.”

Lori Renaud told her to use the extra dollar to buy the kids some ice cream.

Paul Spanel got a real deal as the volunteers stood on tiptoe to wash his big red pickup. When he pulled out a buck to pay, it took a minute to figure out what was happening.

“You get the dollar,” Lori Renaud said. “We want you to be blessed today.”

He thanked them profusely and commented, “I think that’s great. If more people would do something like that, we’d get a lot further.”

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or breeves@journalstar.com.