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
What is Laundry Love?
Laundry Love washes the clothes and bedding of low/no income families and person(s) across the US. We brighten the lives of thousands of people through love, dignity, and detergent by partnering with diverse groups and laundromats, nationwide.
Glade Church (www.gladeucc.org) hosts Laundry Love (https://laundrylove.org) locally in the New River Valley of Southwest Virginia. So far this year, we have helped families wash over 300 loads of laundry!
Laundry Love is moving to the N. Main Street Laundromat – please volunteer!
Due to the closure of the Arbors Laundromat, we are moving all Laundry Love operations to the North Main Street Laundromat, 1003 N. Main Street, Blacksburg. We will host Laundry Love four times a month: The first and third Sundays from 2-4 PM and the second and fourth Thursdays from 6-8 PM.
.
Working Toward Racial Justice
After the death of George Floyd in May of 2021, and during the protests that followed, we at Glade Church, along with so many in our country, heard the cries of Black sisters and brothers as they told their stories of racial injustice and violence. In response, Glade Church, with the guidance of Pastor Susan Verbrugee, began a series of meetings to raise awareness about systemic racism and white privilege. We met twice a month on Zoom (due to COVID). After an intense six-week group conversation, during which UCC curriculum on racism was utilized, we invited guest speakers to share their stories with us. The group read anti-racism books and met to discuss them. Books covered included: White Fragility by Robin Diangelo, How To Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby, The Warmth of Other Suns, and Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Having Our Say by Sarah and Elizabeth Delaney, and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.
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.
