Church of God Restores Cesar Chavez Park

COLTON>> On Sunday, Sept. 11, the World Mission Society Church of God, a Christian faith group from the local community, worked to help beautify the Cesar Chavez Park in Colton. About 40 members gathered on their day off to give back to the community with heartfelt efforts and positive attitudes. Volunteers began their work at 10 a.m. to thoroughly cover every bench and table with a fresh coat of green paint and help clean the park. Although the church had renovated the park last February, the paint on the tables had once again began chipping away in the summer heat and some of the benches had been vandalized. Taking pride in their community, members from the church were excited to once again restore the park for the families of Colton. In addition to park cleaning and painting activities, many male adult members also cleaned the Bike Path on Colton Avenue spanning from C Street to Mt. Vernon Avenue. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, they worked to weed out stubborn overgrowth and pick up debris and trash scattered along the trail. The altruists worked with enthusiasm to restore a sense of community and a positive environment for the citizens of Colton. On the same day, a few representatives from the church visited a woman, Nicole Newtson, an elderly resident of the city. She had recently asked councilmember and district manager David Toro, to send some assistants to her home to help clean the backyard, remove plant overgrowth and cut tree branches that had overgrown into her neighbor's yard. Toro called the church, which has had a developing partnership with the city for volunteer services such as these, to help assist Newtson. “This is the true church, and what real Christians should be doing,” Newston expressed to the members with gratitude. “I’m very impressed at how hard, how fast and what great quality work the church did, they have wonderful spirits and their concern for the community is impressive.” With the mindset to humbly serve others, the participants restored Cesar Chavez Park, cleaned the bike path and revitalized the home of an elderly resident of Colton. The Colton City Council has previously recognized the faith group on numerous occasions with various acknowledgments and rewards for their volunteer services. The Church of God has carried out different volunteer services such as cleanups, emergency disaster relief efforts, blood drives, supporting local activities and visiting nursing homes. In recognition of its volunteer services, the Church of God has received medals, awards, plaques from governments and organizations around the world. On June 7th 2016, the Church of God received the City of Colton volunteer service award which is given to organizations who make a difference in the community. For many months the church members had been working hand in hand with the city of Colton. Mayor Richard DeLaRosa and the council members presented the award thanking the church members for their efforts. Councilmember Frank Navarro created a presentation that explained in detail the projects the Church of God in Colton had been involved in.