Local churches ready to “Serve Together”

Under the direction of the Lake Area Pastor’s Council, numerous local churches are joining together for “Serve Together,” a weekend of service to the county April 29-May 1. (l-r) Robert Abate of Messiah Messianic Assembly, Jim Mayland of Trinity Lutheran Church, Simon Geller of LifeVine Church, Sean Ferry of Pine Forest Baptist Church, Wayne Bickley of Soda Baptist Church, Chris Borden of First Assembly of God, Chaplain Britton Shoellhorn-U. S. Army-Livingston Police Department and Brett Lester of First Baptist Church Livingston. Not pictured: Allen Bramlett of First Baptist Church Onalaska, Robert Murphy of First Baptist Church Providence, Mike Hooper of Church on the Lake and First United Methodist Church. Courtesy photo

From Enterprise Staff

Local churches are once again joining together for a weekend of service to Polk County this April 29-May 1. Formerly known as “Rise Up,” this is a partnership between local churches under the direction of the Lake Area Pastor’s Council.

“Our churches believe that the problems we face in our community are too great for any one congregation to address by themselves,” Chris Borden, pastor of First Assembly of God in Livingston, said. “But if we come together and serve on behalf of our great God, then we believe we will see God do something only He can do.”

The weekend of service began in 2013 in one local congregation. Over the past several years, the event has grown to include thousands of people from many congregations around the county. Last year, 14 churches accomplished over 200 projects.

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This year, the event will kick off with a community-wide night of prayer and worship at LifeVine Church beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 29.

“We know that all of our churches in the county serve throughout the year. This weekend isn’t designed to take away from anything we are all doing already,” Brett Lester, pastor of First Baptist Church, said. “But this weekend was born out of a simple question: What if the people of God came together and focused on the same thing at the same time? What could God do in Polk County if our community was able to see firsthand the unity we feel as the body of Christ?”

Service projects have benefited the City of Livingston, several local school districts and many elderly in Polk County.  The projects have included people of all ages and any skill or activity level. The group is also open to projects suggested by the community.

“You don’t have to be anything but willing to serve,” Simon Geller, pastor of LifeVine Church, said. “There will be something for everyone.”

If your church would like more information on joining the “Serve Together” weekend of service or you would like to suggest a project, you may contact Kevan Wood at 936-327-4417 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..