\Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.\- James 1:27 NLT

Thousands of L.A. Church members met needs in neighborhoods from Santa Barbara to Orange County over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in our annual \Day on HOPE\ community service event.

Volunteers helped at 27 project sites on Saturday and Monday. They hosted events such a health fair, a sports day at an orphanage and blood drives. They planted trees, painted murals, refurbished a teen center, delivered care packages to the homeless, and did household tasks for widows and the elderly.

My wife, our children and I joined some friends in Santa Ana, where we washed the outside of a mobile home owned by Rose, a 76-year-old woman who is divorced from an abusive husband. She is unable to lift anything heavy because of an aneurysm in her heart.

We flushed out the gutters, scrubbed the walls and patio floor with car wash mitts, and cleaned the inside and outside of the windows. The three-hour project was really fun for my entire family - even my kids had a blast. And Rose was so grateful.

\I really appreciate you doing this,\ she said.

Volunteer Brent Hammond reported that about 100 people helped upgrade the Wilmington Teen Center. The preparation work started in September, and on Saturday they cleaned and painted the inside and outside of the facility, installed tile, waxed floors, painted murals, planted trees and shrubs outside and refurbished the boxing ring.

At least 3,000 people volunteered for the weekend effort, which our church does each year in partnership with our sister non-profit group, HOPE Worldwide. The final numbers for the turnout have not yet been tallied. This year, members and their family and friends had opportunities to serve their communities on both Saturday and Monday. This allowed those of us who had to work on Monday to be able to participate.

In three years, the \Day on HOPE\ event has grown from six project sites to 27.

\I am so grateful for all of the disciples who came out in force, for the staff who supported our effort, and for God, who made this such an incredible weekend,\ director Rick Mark said.

Throughout the year, the local HOPE Worldwide chapter supports mentoring and tutoring programs for at-risk youth. Separately from HOPE, a group of disciples from the Los Angeles church regularly visits and supports boy and girl orphans as well as impoverished families in Tecate, Mexico.

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