5th Annual Spring Refresh
The city of Denver delayed its closing of the winter season as April ended with cloudy skies and 40 degree weather. Fortunately for the Colorado Family Church, the sun shone bright on time for the 5th annual Spring Refresh on Saturday, May 4th. This time, the sun did not return behind the clouds. The day was fun-filled with inflatable toys for the children, indoor and outdoor projects around the church, and delicious food.
As soon as the inflatable toys were set up, small children were ready to play. There were numbers of projects planned out for this year’s Spring Refresh.
A truck came in to the church parking lot, filled with materials for the new fence project on the side of the church parking lot. Project manager, Sjoerd Vanderstok, lead the volunteers in measuring and cutting the lumber, nailing down and putting the pieces together to build an elegant fence in place of the dilapidated one that was there before.
“[The fence] is going great. We have new people coming and going,” volunteer David Mahardy expressed his appreciation for the help he received on the project.
The fence is halfway done and the community is looking forward to see the newly built, one-of-a-kind fence.
Outside of the church, there were volunteers spray-painting the handrails at the church’s main entrance as well as volunteers sanding the tables Mahardy had been working on since last year. The new tables are to be in the church’s dining room.
A few parents and many children participated in a trash pick-up around the neighborhood. The children competed with each other on who could fill their trash bags the fastest. As much as the Colorado Family Church does their best to maintain its presentation within the church, it is also important for the community to value and take care of the surrounding neighborhood outside of the church.
After working hard, picking up trash under the hot sun, the children joined in on the fun, cooling off in the mist and sliding across the water slide.
Though no barbecue was set up yet, the smell of cooked, marinated meat from inside the church captivated the volunteers as they looked forward to a rewarding meal.
The Martinez couple were preparing an exciting lunch in the kitchen with smiles on their faces. Also, inside the church, the floor of the toddler-aged Sunday school classroom was covered in plastic to protect it from getting a new color painted on the walls—sky blue to brighten any kids’ Sunday!
“Working together with people was fun. The event was refreshing and laid back,” said Virginia-Rose, as she painted the walls. “I got to know the people of the community through the projects.” Virginia-Rose had recently moved to Denver from Virginia.
Used clothes were lined up in the dining room for a clothing swap. People donated their gently used clothes and other items for others to enjoy. In exchange for the items in the clothes swap, a donation was requested to fund the new tables. People came in throughout the day to pick up a new wardrobe or to browse.
While everyone worked hard in and outside of the church, the older girls volunteered to supervise the small children. Thank you, girls!
After a morning and early afternoon of hard work, the smell of food finally made it outside. A barbecue grill was set up to cook hot dogs and the Martinez family prepared a Korean-Mexican hybrid dish—Korean barbecue tacos! Many people lined up for the tacos and the Martinez family was able to serve all of them. Everybody was able to rejuvenate from all of the hard work and the children from playing energetically.
After lunch, work projects continued, and a number of people also signed up and began a 40 day health challenge headed up by Ben Martinez. Everyone contributed in the 5th annual Spring Refresh in any way possible. Every Spring Refresh has always been a day to give the community an opportunity to come together and give back to the church and their families. It was a day filled with a lively atmosphere by the community. If you would like to see the full album of photos, you can see that here.
