Campaign seeks to change the world

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NAUGATUCK — On Sunday, United Methodist Churches across the nation will work together to change the world.

For the fifth year the United Methodist Conference will hold its annual Change the World campaign to encourage its members to get out into their communities and volunteer.

“The United Methodists, on that one day, we are spiritually all working together to change the world,” said Ethel Grant, a member of the Naugatuck Board of Education member and the Naugatuck United Methodist Church.

Grant said church members will volunteer for outreach missions including at the St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank, Paradigm Health Center of Prospect and helping do yard clean-up for shut-ins.

This year, Grant said, the church is not going to be able to clean the river because of scheduling conflicts. The river clean-up will be rescheduled for July.

 “It’s important because God calls us to care for others and also the environment,” Grant said.

Grant said the members of the church do not go to church service that day.

“Instead of going to church that day we meet at church but everybody goes out. We form groups and off we go. There’s no formal church service, it’s just we go on that day and everybody goes out and does something to change the world,” Grant said.

The church invites anyone who is interested to come out and volunteer. People can contact the church at (203) 729-4236 for more information. All projects start at 10 a.m. and last two hours, except working at the soup kitchen, which last four hours.

Grant said many people take part in this because they enjoy volunteering.

“They know that if they help somebody else if they ever need help people will be there for them. It’s just a very volunteer-oriented world lately,” Grant said.