As the First United Methodist Church of Lansing prepares to celebrate its 130th anniversary, its pastor said community involvement has been one of the keys to reaching this huge milestone.

The Rev. G. Morris Jarkloh Jr. said that’s no accident, and that over the decades church leaders and members have been “very proactive in things we do and continue to do to reach out to the community and also be very vibrant to the entire neighborhood.”

He called the anniversary “very important.”

“That’s why we have this committee that is planning for nine months to make sure we can achieve this whole celebration,” he said.

Jarkloh and committee members hope some old members who have been away for a while will attend, as well as community members. It’s a chance, he said, to “reflect on where we were, where we are, and where we want to be as a church. It is something we are looking forward to, celebrating God’s goodness as a church and its ministry and spirit.”

The anniversary will be observed Dec. 8 with a service and luncheon.

Robert Wood, a longtime member and church trustee, pointed out that 130 years is “half the lifetime of the nation.” He became a member in 1978 after marrying his wife there in 1974.

Service is an important aspect of life at First United Methodist, which has about 150 to 200 members on its registry, although not that many attend Sunday services. “One of the things that keeps this church going is our heart for the community and what the church has been involved with — mission work,” Jarkloh said, adding that the building now housing the Lansing Community Food Pantry was the church’s former location.

Another important ministry related to food is Meals on Wheels. Since 1980, the church has been home to the village’s Meals on Wheels program, delivering food to older Lansing residents every Tuesday and Thursday, Wood said.

“We charge $4 per meal, which is ridiculous. We have volunteers from several churches in town. We’re very proud of that program,” he shared. “We continue to look for clientele to deliver. They go into assisted living or pass away, so keeping clientele is a challenge. … Usually the portions are so generous you get two meals out of them, especially older folks.”

The church also works with students at Thornton Fractional South High School, which is on Burnham Avenue immediately south of First United Methodist. “The church has this ministry with TF South students coming every week and seeing what the church has done,” he said. “Being able to make its presence felt in the neighborhood is very important.”

Wood said the high school dismisses students early on Wednesday afternoons, so they must sit in the cafeteria while teachers have meetings until extracurricular activities begin. But 200 to 300 of them opt to hang out at the church instead for a program known as Walk Over Wednesday, or WOW.

“There’s no place for them to go for an hour and a half. We’re just a bridge. We give them free lemonade or free popcorn. We had watermelon in warmer weather and serve cookies at the holidays.”

Six picnic tables provide some seating, or students can play basketball, football or beanbags on the lawn. “They can be louder and then outdoors,” the pastor said. Activities move inside once the weather gets cold, where hot chocolate replaces the lemonade.

Church members support the school’s baseball team by hosting a “rooftop reachout” for the Red Wolves, inviting the team for lemonade and popcorn because the education wing’s roof overlooks the baseball field. “We watch the game and have a lot of fun cheering for them,” Wood said.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church gave away two semi trucks of food provided by the federal government. “We were at the end of the first semi and saw another semi coming down Burnham Avenue and someone joked ‘That must be the second truck,’ and it was!” Wood said.

Other outreach efforts include a giveaway of books with an electronic device for teachers, and a micro food pantry on church grounds run by Girl, a Lansing-based nonprofit.

A few other churches use the building during the week through a “space share” system, including two African-American congregations. “One is very traditional and one is very evangelical,” Jarkhol said. “And on Saturday we have a Spanish-speaking church that is Seventh Day Adventist.”

In addition, the group Jesus Revival, made up of young people including two TF South graduates, comes to the church on Wednesdays to talk to the students. “It has been quite involved when the students come around,” he said.

“I think we’ve made a real effort to reflect the community, reach out to the community. It’s important that our programming, which is beyond the doors of the church, will try to make the church a community center,” Wood said. “That everyone is welcome here and can find a safe haven to be and study and improve themselves.”

Future goals for the church are to reestablish a preschool program, which at one time had several hundred students before the pandemic ended it, he said. A newer group initiated by Wood called GriefShare ministry has drawn members from Lansing, South Holland and northwest Indiana.

Growing the church with an eye toward diversity, especially younger members, also is important. “We are concerned about having families and younger people who can be the next generation of the church,” Jarkloh said. “We want young people across all races.”

Incorporating contemporary music is one way the church hopes to do that, with Jarkloh calling it “very vibrant to the sustainability” of attracting younger members. “I think we will continue to do what we tend to do as a church and be very intentional about how we do it. We intend to still have a church that will be in existence for the next generation. We need to reach out and rethink how we do church.”

One way to rethink church has been to introduce live streaming via Facebook Live earlier this year, which has been helpful for people who cannot come to church or have moved. “You can’t just have in-person worship service and people who have no access,” he said. “That has been going quite well. Looking back, every one of us realizes it’s a very good approach.”

Above all, the church’s goal is to foster a connection to God, Wood shared. “Our goal is to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world. We struggle to do that, but every time we do, it’s a celebration.”

The anniversary celebration is at 10 a.m. Dec. 8, followed by a luncheon. RSVP by Nov. 24 to the church office at 708-474-1144. Tickets cost $15 for adults, free for children 12 and younger and $45 for families. Information is at www.fumclansing.org.

Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.