The 5597th Worldwide Cleanup Campaign, Coburg Lake Reserve

On the morning of 24 March 2019, 105 volunteers gathered together to tidy up the litter around Coburg Lake Reserve. With 98 members of the Church of God and 7 associate volunteers, this was the Church of God’s 5,597th global cleanup.

Coburg Lake is a popular spot for the Moreland community members. In light of this, Peter Khalil, MP of Wills, attended the event to show his support. He expressed his gratitude in a speech to all the volunteers at the commencement of the event. Furthermore, he praised the good deeds of the Church of God’s volunteers in his social media page.

Coburg Lake, originally the site of a bluestone quarry, was transformed from mining site to lake and parkland in 1915. Since then it has provided a beautiful sanctuary for wildlife and the local residents for over 100 years. Streaming through this parkland is the Merri Creek. This creek flows north of Melbourne to the Yarra River, which then empties into the Port Philip Bay. Therefore, the great amount of litter discarded around these waterways eventually ends up in the ocean. This not only affects marine life but also the quality of human life.

With this concern, the Church of God holds regular cleanups around Coburg lake. These cleanups intercept the litter before it winds up in the waterways leading to the ocean.

Youth serving the community with all their heart

At the frontline of this clean-up event are the members of ASEZ. These are the Church of God’s university student volunteers. The name ASEZ represents the Church of God’s global initiative to “Save the Earth from A to Z.” The youth within this organisation have been making passionate efforts to transform the world, one good deed at a time. In the same way that God takes on the nature of a servant to benefit mankind, the hardworking youth of ASEZ truly serve the community with all their heart.

Between the hours of 11am and 1pm, the Church of God volunteers united with hard working hands. Volunteers from as young as 4 years-old to senior members in their 80’s served the community with joy.

The Church of God believes and follows the teachings of God the Mother. Mother teaches that it is more blessed to give love than to receive love. This is the pure nature of love. Therefore, as those who follow God the Mother, members always delight in making efforts to give love to mankind. Although the work can be strenuous, they always put forth their best effort to be the salt and light of the world.

The hard work of the Church of God volunteers greatly impressed park goers. By the end of the event, volunteers had collected litter filling 39 bags, weighing 273kg. The litter was mainly plastics and food packaging. Among this was hard waste including an old tyre, wire fencing, wooden planks, and a broken chair.

The Church of God volunteers transform their communities through dutiful hands. They hope to receive more opportunities in the future to deliver the love of God through good deeds within their communities.