Bernard Verna, who goes to Eastview Baptist Church in Auckland, tells us about their impromptu tech recycling day and its impact beyond their faith community.
In November 2022, we decided to have a Community Service Day in Botany, Auckland. The plan was for a group to go to the Botany College next door to our church, where we had been having an outreach with our Youth Worker spending time with staff and pupils during the year. We were going to help the groundsman spread a truckload of mulch and do a general clean-up around the gardens.
Unfortunately, the truckload of mulch was not delivered in time! As a result, "rapid panic stations" to decide what else we could do produced some great "at short notice" ideas.
A group of retirees (old fellas) in our church who call themselves Eastview Electronic Junk Project (EEJP) were called on. They set up some tables and tools in the church and provided many old computers, appliances, and other "junk".
We thought about 10 or 12 would be interested, but on Sunday morning, about 30 turned up to help dismantle the "junk". Mums and dads helped their young’uns to use screwdrivers, hammers, cutters and electric screwdrivers. We sorted the dismantled bits into wire, circuit boards, steel, plastic, and aluminium, ready for later disposal at the local scrap dealer. The profits went to the Church Mission Funds and the Otahuhu Christian Foodbank.
One little fellow came with his mum and was a bit shy but was cajoled by his mum to help. He was taken under the wing of one of our Youth Leaders and shown how to use an electric screwdriver. When we cleaned up afterwards, he was still working away and loving the experience.
In 2022 this project donated over $23,000 to Food banks, Homework and School books and assistance at Otara Living Waters Baptist Church, the Missionaries we as a church support, and various other designated donations to the likes of MAF, VOM, Tear Fund, Fred Hollows Foundation and Red Cross.
A great time of fellowship and fun was had by all except the church cleaner, who said they were picking up little screws and small objects when vacuuming afterwards. You can't win them all. Awesome to be able to keep "junk" out of our landfills and boost our Mission Coffers, all in the Lord's name.
Eastview Baptist Church is helping out the environment in more ways than one! Read about their Eco Group here.
Photo: Supplied by Bernard Verna
I have no idea who this might be haha. Thanks. Any other churches interested in doing something similar are welcome to contact me via Eastview Baptist Church Botany Auckland.