When Pastor Chris says “we don’t just live here, we love here,” 1Day Hoboken is one of those special events that comes to mind first. What is 1Day you might ask? It’s a day of service and impact where we take a Saturday to tackle dozens of community service projects for our great city.

Projects included picking up litter along the Hudson River, painting rails at different parks areas, planting along garden and walkway areas, and even partnering with more than a dozen local nonprofits and civic organizations to help them with their own projects so that they can better serve the community as well. One group of us went over to In Jesus Name Charities where we sorted and organized donated children’s clothes so that they will be easier to access and inventory when families in need request them.

Service projects for the community have always been something that Hoboken Grace loves to be a part of, but it has taken on a whole new meaning since the launch the Home Initiative. As we put down roots here in Hoboken, we want to show this city just how much we love this great home of ours. In your home, we’re sure you like things kept nice and clean. Well, that’s exactly what Saturday was all about! Keeping this city clean and helping our nonprofit and civic partner who support underserved communities. It was just a special time to show people how much we truly care about them, and more importantly, how much God loves them too.

As group members and leaders wrapped up their many projects throughout the city, everyone came back to 301 Garden for an epic rooftop afterparty. It was a beautiful afternoon to be up there, and seeing the community come together to celebrate their achievements was amazing. New friends and connections were being made, and we can confidently say our city is stronger in many ways after this Saturday! Overall, just standing back and seeing how many people decided to serve Hoboken on their Saturday was so rewarding, and we sure those who participated felt the same way too! 551 people to be exact!

While 1Day is only one day out of the year, our hope is that the work we do here inspires the city and those who witnessed it to carry that work out throughout the year. 1Day Hoboken may be over for this year (looking at 2022 now!), but there is always work to be done in our community and there is never a bad time to get started in your own way!