Church Members Prepare for Weekend of Community Service and Outreach

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in Australia and the Pacific are gathering paint brushes, weed-eaters, lawn mowers, brooms and other equipment in preparation for a weekend of community service and outreach on 29-30 October.

Some of the community service projects being planned include cleaning up riverbanks, footpaths, parks, sports fields and schools; gathering and delivering food, clothing and bedding to refugee support organisations; donating blood; and painting community facilities. 

In a unique project in Cairns Latter-day Saint volunteers will video record oral family and personal histories on behalf of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Projects in Brisbane include a blood drive, a food drive, and a community grounds cleanup.  

In Perth Church members are planning a river bank cleanup with removal of non-native plants.

In Adelaide where members have been holding flood cleanups this September and where a refugee aid project was recently held, yet another flood cleanup is planned.

In Melbourne a creek maintenance and planting activity is planned, and a refugee aid project was recently completed. 

Helping Hands projects for Sydney include a food drive for refugees and a painting, gardening and maintenance activity for a school.  

“Although acts of personal service to others or organised community projects are woven into the fabric of our everyday lives and happen year-round, this month we will unite and serve together,” explained Elder O. Vincent Haleck, President of the Pacific Area of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“There is a wonderful feeling of unity and purpose when we join together to help others through Christian service—and a lot of good is done,” Elder Haleck added. “Our friends of other faiths and all others are welcome to serve with us as we beautify and strengthen communities, care for the needy, uplift the spirits of the downtrodden and instil hope in the hearts of the discouraged.”

Following the service projects, many of which will take place on Saturday 29 October, a number of Latter-day Saint congregations plan to come together to honour and thank others in their community, not of their faith, who are examples of selfless service.

For information about a Mormon Helping Hands project in your area contact Elder Leo Brown at leobrown@ldschurch.org or Elder Galan Merrill at galan.merrill@ldschurch.org.