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NILES – Taylor Bailey’s voice filled with excitement when she spoke about Relevant Church’s Serve the City outreach event. It was one of the first, larger scale volunteer efforts she was involved in when she moved to the Niles area.

This Saturday, Bailey will once again take part in the event. This year marks the sixth annual event.

The three-part event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with 50-plus volunteers from the church coming together to serve Niles businesses, a neighborhood block, and celebrate together.

“My first time going I was honestly blown away,” Bailey said. “The fact that all of these people would come together just to serve the community blew my mind. That was one the big events that I went to when I came to Relevant Church. Just to see everyone with a servants’ heart.”
She recalled volunteers raking a “humongous” yard, trimming invasive vines from trees and helping weed and trim back plants. Connecting with community members with prayer is another key thing she remembered, and looks forward to experiencing again.

“That’s what it’s all about – being able to serve and pray for people in this world,” Bailey said.

Saturday, the event will begin with service to local businesses, including The Rage and the Niles-Buchanan YMCA. Cleaning, organizing and beautification projects will be completed during that time. In the afternoon, the group plans to work in the neighborhood near Cherry Street Park to offer help with yard work, organizing, painting or whatever else someone might need help with.

In Cherry Street Park, the group of volunteers will also be hosting the church’s Summer Bash. Bailey said there will be music, free hot dogs and drinks and a bounce house.

Volunteers will also be helping to distribute what the members have collected in a clothing drive to area agencies, including the South Bend Center for the Homeless, Redbud Area Ministries in Buchanan, baby clothes will go to LifePlan and any school uniforms will be donated to the schools to distribute to students in need.

When Bailey moved to the area, she found Relevant Church and discovered Niles.
“I remember thinking ‘this is a place people are going to be coming back to.’ We are slowly, but surely, getting back into the swing of having big events where people come from all over America to the city,” Bailey said. “Relevant Church wants to be a part of this. Then we get to serve more people? That’s awesome.”

Currently, Relevant Church hosts its Sunday services at The Rage, 219 N. Front Street, Niles. The church is renovating a space at 2809 S. 11^th St., Niles, for its future home.

For more information on the event, or to sign up to volunteer, go to ThisIsRelevant.cc/serve21.