Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Among the men helping out with Car Care Day Saturday at Peace Lutheran Church were, from left, Mike Nelson, John Haynes and Matt Pollock.
The Peace Lutheran Church men’s Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
Forrest Acker, 7, colors a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
Forrest Acker, 7, colors a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
KennyAcker, 9, draws a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
To make sure other people have reliable transportation, a bunch of guys got their hands dirty on Saturday.
The men’s ministry group at Peace Lutheran Church held its annual Car Care Day.
About 20 men pitched in to change oil and give cars a checkup — all free of charge — at the well-organized annual event.
Seven homemade wooden ramps were lined up in the church parking lot. The work space, shielded under three tents, was a hotbed of activity. The church has three larger tents in reserve for rainy days.
Fifty people had made appointments for Car Care Day, which ran from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The assistance is provided to those who could use a helping hand.
In addition to the men outside, volunteers inside the church welcome those who brought in their cars. Snacks and food are available. Crayons are provided for kids who are waiting with parents.
Local businesses contribute products to make the event a success. CPI donates oil. NAPA provides oil filters, and Miller Tire gave the church six $50 gift certificates. Thrivent Financial also provides support. Some of the shirts donated by Thrivent read, “Live generously.”
More than half of the volunteers show up every year. Some of the men aren’t members of Peace Lutheran. They tag along to help friends who belong to the church.
Matt Pollock was helping for the first time. He and his family joined the church this year. When he saw the opportunity to sign up, he said, “Well, that’s something I can help with, and get into. I like to get my hands dirty.”
John Haynes is part of the project every year.
“I just love helping people,” said Haynes, 78.
The project is a good way to meet other members of the church and the general public, he said.
One of Haynes’ best friends had just had his car serviced.
The friend, who is 34, is totally disabled because of a stroke. “It’s just good to help people like that — that can’t do things,” Haynes said.
Peace Lutheran has been offering Car Care Day since 2008.
The seeds for the project were planted when a group of Peace Lutheran men attended a Promise Keepers event in Colorado.
Those men came back and said, “Well, let’s see if we can get the men involved in ministry — not just come to church, because guys need projects like this,” said Darrin Rathman, who’s in charge of the car care project.
Those men read two books, “The Man in the Mirror” and “No Man Left Behind.”
“In those books they discovered that men needed to be involved in church more than just coming on Sundays,” Rathman said.
In a survey distributed at church, one of the top suggestions was to do oil changes for those who can’t do it themselves.
After a while, men get tired of reading, Rathman said. They like to “hang out and do guy things,” he said.
The church appreciates the donations very much, said Mike Nelson, who’s helped with the project since the beginning.
Rathman’s wife, Rachel, is director of Outreach and Missions at Peace Lutheran.
To get ready for Car Care Day, she calls organizations in Grand Island such as Hope Harbor and the Crisis Center, as well as local schools.
They provide the names of people who might need an oil change. Rachel Rathman calls those people and sets up appointments.
On the appointment sheets, she lists the make and model of each car, so that the men’s group can buy the appropriate oil filter.
A half-hour is set aside for each car. In addition to changing the oil, the men look over other parts of the vehicle. They check wipers, brake fluid, radiator fluid and fan belts, among other things.
The men have a runner on hand to go fetch parts when necessary. Every once in a while, the men might repair a turning signal.
They tell drivers about areas that might need attention. For instance, they might inform the car owner about a tire or a wiper blade “that’s getting a little shabby,” Nelson said.
Nelson is in charge of the wooden ramps, which he stores at his farm north of Centura School. He plays a big enough role in the project that you might call the group Mike and the Mechanics. Assistance also comes from his son, Chris.
As a car is being serviced, someone from Peace Lutheran sits with the owner inside. The church member might invite the person to start going to church. But if that person says no, that’s fine.
“We just want to share the love of Christ with everybody,” Darrin Rathman said.
Some of the people who bring their cars in are veterans, Rachel Rathman said.
The work is both appreciated and needed. Every once in a while, a car comes along in which the driver has obviously been sleeping.
This is a good time of the year for the Car Care Day — before the State Fair and before school starts, she said.
Rachel Rathman doesn’t worry about getting enough men to help. Not many men bother to sign their names. They just show up.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
I am the Cops & Courts Reporter for the Grand Island Independent. I welcome news tips!
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Among the men helping out with Car Care Day Saturday at Peace Lutheran Church were, from left, Mike Nelson, John Haynes and Matt Pollock.
The Peace Lutheran Church men’s Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
Forrest Acker, 7, colors a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
Forrest Acker, 7, colors a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
KennyAcker, 9, draws a picture inside Peace Lutheran Church Saturday while the Men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day outisde, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
The Peace Lutheran Church men's Ministry held their annual Car Care Day, where they provide free oil changes for members of our community who could use a helping hand. The guys complete the oil changes themselves the church parking lot. Others from the church served food and had some crafts available for kids who came along with their parents. Estimated 50 cars got their oil changed on Saturday.The guys also fileld tires and checked other fluids.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.