The small upstart A Love Project isn't about grand gestures, but showing love in the little things each day.
North Augusta native Zak Todd got the idea for the project when attending a Hillsong concert about six months ago.
While in worship, the group talked about faith, hope and love in reference to 1 Corinthians 13:13.
"I thought that we're not outwardly expressing love to our community and we need to get Christians as a whole to love on the city," said Todd.
"The ministry is focusing on loving God, loving the community and loving the church," he said.
The project idea isn't about individual churches making efforts to help CSRA, but coming together to make a strong impression.
Todd solicited six core members from area churches, including TrueNorth, First Baptist Church of North Augusta, The Well and Stevens Creek, to begin the effort.
They started by handing out cold sodas during First Friday in Augusta. No tracts or Biblical material were involved, just kind words.
Next the group headed out to the Garden City Rescue Mission and Dogwood Terrace to help with any service they needed. At Dogwood Terrace, the group began cleanup on a basketball court covered in glass shards and dirt.
"We're not trying to 'adopt their block' we just want to show them there are people who care if they have a clean basketball court," Todd said.
The first Monday of each month A Love Project holds a worship service where individuals can sign up for projects for that month.
"Non-believers can look at Christians as a whole and no doubt see what these Christians are doing is a benefit, but if they see us come together, we'll have a greater impact."
Todd said he would like to see the grassroots efforts continue and have each core member branch off with their own group. A Love Project isn't meant to become another area church, but a supplement to what churches already offer, he said.
A Love Project is currently in the process of becoming a non-profit organization. Since Todd began his efforts, he's relied on donations of others to make events happen.
"We just want to get involved in the community through outwardly ways so it's an everyday occurrence," he said.
Reach Julia Sellers at julia.sellers@northaugustatoday.com.
GET INVOLVED
Visit www.aloveproject.org for more information about volunteering or attending worship events.
