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August 8, 2011 Al Bartel, co-chair of the Welcoming Ministry at First UMC in Park Ridge, Illinois, remembers where he was as the 9/11 tragedy unfolded 10 years. He was at a breakfast meeting in a restaurant with televisions around the room. He watched, along with the rest of the diners, as what seemed so unbelievable became a terrible reality. Later that day he took friends on a tour of Avenues of Independence (a center for adults with developmental disabilities). He remembers the smiles as they greeted the workers there, yet the eyes behind the smiles, some with tears, were filled with sadness as each person went on with life in the midst of such loss and fear. Remembering that moment brings even more meaning to September 11, 2011. On that day, HopeFest 2011 will join the efforts of three churches as they reclaim 9/11 as a day of hope. New Hope UMC, First UMC of Park Ridge, and First UMC of Des Plaines will host this Impact Community Event that covers six locations (and counting), includes more than six featured mini-events (and still growing) and partners with more than seven community agencies (and still growing).
Central to HopeFest is a celebration of first responders. The day will open with a commemorative service remembering the sacrifice of the first responders at 9/11 and honoring the lives of first responders everywhere. One of the highlights of this service will be the unveiling of an artifact from Ground Zero. According to Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Sorenson, the Park Ridge fire department has received a remnant close to 6 feet long. This ceremony is the one time the artifact will be transported. After this, the community will raise the funds to create a permanent home in which the artifact will become a memorial site. This theme of remembering with gratitude will be woven throughout the day. Thank-you kits will be assembled for police departments in three local communities, and thank-you letters will be written for a variety of first responders who live and work in the area. HopeFest is a good example of ministry with the community rather than for or to the community. The food drives will benefit three food pantries: New Hope UMC, Maine Township Emergency Food Pantry, and Des Plaines Self Help Closet Pantry. Other community partners include Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Maine Township Food Depository, LifeSource Blood Services, Salvation Army, Police and Fire Departments, and individual community volunteers. In this community, 9/11 will be remembered with opportunity, preparedness training and community service, and one of the very places that Al Bartel visited on that fateful day on 2001, Avenues to Independence, will be a part of the celebration. Let the reclaiming begin. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please go to www.hopefest.net. |
