Assembling hygiene kits for "Love Harrisburg" in September. Photos courtesy of Harrisburg UMC.

"We are taking worship from the pews to the tables where we serve others. Worship is not just a sermon; it is service to the Lord," said Rev. Brandon Dunham, Harrisburg UMC.

In 2025, the months of March, June, August, and November will have five Sundays. On those Sundays, the United Methodist Church in Harrisburg, South Dakota, will show God's love to neighbors.

"The Mission Committee has designated the fifth Sunday of the month as a time to worship through service," said Dunham. "We gather for prayer, song, and announcements and then engage in a service project everyone can participate in. It is a way for us to connect with the needs of others. We try to pick projects that can be completed in 30 minutes. When we complete the project, we close with prayer, blessing, and song."

The fifth Sunday service project has been named "Love Harrisburg." The effort started last September when congregation members gathered in the fellowship hall to assemble hygiene kits for UMCOR. In December, 100 people gathered to make tie blankets for Project Warm-Up—distributing blankets to those in the Sioux Falls area experiencing poverty, homelessness, illness, loss, foster care transitions, and more.

Making tie blankets for Project Warm-Up in December.

"We select projects that everyone can be involved with and that we can do together in one location," said Mark Noordermeer, Missions Committee chair at Harrisburg UMC.  "For the past year, we have been intentional about our mission work. People are excited about doing the projects and connecting."

On Sunday, March 30, Harrisburg UMC devoted their Sunday worship service to Nightwatch Canteen, preparing meals for the hungry. The Nightwatch Canteen serves free meals on Sunday evenings at two downtown locations, on Mondays next to Hayward Elementary School in northwest Sioux Falls and on Tuesdays in northeast Sioux Falls. Nightwatch has grown from the involvement of seven United Methodist churches as an informal organization to 12 multi-denominational churches and community 501(c) non-profit organizations.

"Being in service to others is a form of worship," Noordermeer said. "In less than 20 minutes, we prepared 200 meals for the Nightwatch Canteen. Some people made sandwiches, others prepared pasta salad and cut bars. There were tables where people decorated the containers that the meals were packed in. We even had some visitors to our church who jumped in to help."

Each project for "Love Harrisburg" is announced ahead of time in the bulletin, on social media, and at Sunday worship. When people arrive, the sanctuary is dark, and the fellowship hall is set up with stations where 6-8 people can gather to participate. 

"We have families that will go to a table and work together. You will find a couple of different families on other stations or tables. People go to a table and work on the project. Sometimes there are different tasks at each table, and other times everyone is working on the same thing," explained Pastor Brandon.

Decorating the boxes for the Nightwatch Canteen meals.

Both Dunham and Noordermeer see "Love Harrisburg" as something that benefits not only those that are being served but also the congregation. 

"It is so interesting to observe people connecting across the room. It is something that you do not see at a normal church service. On most Sundays, people may greet each other but then go their separate ways. During "Love Harrisburg," we connect by rubbing elbows," shared Mark. "That is a huge benefit to our congregation."

Pastor Brandon described "Love Harrisburg" as fueled by other congregations. He refers to the efforts of Brandon Celebration UMC and other churches. A distinction at Harrisburg UMC is that everyone gathers together in one location to work on a common project.

Noordermeer shared that Harrisburg, S.D., is a bedroom community that has grown from 500 to 10,000 people in the last decade. 

"When we were a community of 500 people, everyone knew each other. Today, we are a diverse, growing community– a lot of the people that live here but work in Sioux Falls. We have growing needs in our community," Mark explained. 

The church's eight-member Missions Committee is working to identify community needs and serve. Each month, a collection of items or funds is designated. This month, they are collecting treats and funds for a community Easter egg hunt.

Harrisburg UMC's Mission Committee is planning future "Love Harrisburg" projects. On the fifth Sunday in May, "Love Harrisburg" will build beds for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. 

"I equate doing for others as loving God and loving His people," said Noordermeer. "People are excited to connect with each other and serve others."

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