Jesus spent a great deal of his time out in the community, walking alongside people and helping and healing where he could. Following Jesus, Glade Church strives to do the same.
ONGOING PROJECTS
Laundry Love
Glade assists those struggling financially by paying for their laundry through the Laundry Love program. Glade has found that in the neutral space of a laundromat, every guest and stranger can become a friend. Laundry Love, sponsored locally by the Glade family happens twice a month at The Arbors Laundromat, 777 Triangle Street, Blacksburg (corner of Triangle Street and South Main Street).
We go to the laundromat on the first Sunday and third Sundays from 2-5 p.m. All are welcome to join us!
Want to volunteer for a one to one and a half hour shift at the laundromat?
Working Toward Racial Justice
We, along with so many in our country, have heard the cries of our black sisters and brothers as they tell their stories of racial injustice and violence. In response, Glade has begun a White Privilege Conversation that is currently meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month at 7:30. After an intense six week conversation in which we used UCC curriculum to talk about and explore our own white privilege, we now are welcoming people outside the church to share their stories with us and are reading anti-racism books together. For more information, contact pastorsusan@gladeucc.org.
Also, Glade members are participants and volunteers in the Dialogue on Race, a group in Montgomery County whose mission is to create a forum that examines racial issues articulated by the African American community and then develops and implements solutions.
Food Drives
Because Jesus said that whenever we feed the hungry, we are feeding him, Glade collects food for several food pantries and feeding programs throughout the year. In particular, we support Micah’s Backpack and the Interfaith Food Pantry with food, monetary donations, and volunteer help.
Blacksburg Refugee Partnership
A coalition of local individuals as well as faith and community organizations form the partnership that hosts refugee families in Blacksburg. Currently, the partnership is working with two Syrian families and three Afghan families. The Partnership hopes to welcome more families to the community in the future. Glade folks play critical volunteer roles in the project, and the church supports the project monetarily.
To Our House
Glade Church is a host church for To Our House, the homeless men’s and women’s shelter in the New River Valley. We welcome these men and women into our church for one to two weeks each season, providing a warm and safe place to be overnight. During those weeks, we prepare their meals, provide transport for them to/from the church, hang out with them and stay overnight at the church with them.
Bloomin’ and Broomin’ Earth Day Cleanup
Glade Church participates in the countywide Earth Day cleanup. We usually clean up along the Shenandoah Trail behind the Main Street Food Lion and along Patrick Henry Drive.
Recycling Collection
We collect CFL light bulbs and alkaline batteries at church for drop-off at local recycling stations. We also collect soft plastics and take it to a recycling center that turns the plastic into garden benches. We then donate the bench to places in our community so that people will have a lovely place to sit and rest.
