Maybe this is the way all churches should be. Instead of donning their go-to-meetin’ best, members of Bettendorf Christian Church were in jeans and overalls last Sunday. In fact, they weren’t even in church.

Instead, they spread out over the Quad-Cities to do good things. They did wonderful deeds, like painting a widow’s kitchen, or digging gardens for the disabled. Some marched into a fast-food restaurant and paid for the meals of people who looked down at the heels.

At least 800 church members were involved in this armada of goodness.

“It was like 800 different sermons,” says the Rev. Alex Cobb, church pastor.

They raked yards for those who could no longer handle lawn tools. They spiffed up parks, and collected debris along roadways.

They did amazing, unexpected things, like bringing hot meals to shifts of four different police departments.  They brought May baskets, brimming with flowers and goodies to all residents of seven nursing homes. They sang songs to the residents until tears flowed.

If this sounds awesomely difficult, it was. But it was a joy for Bettendorf Christian, tucked away off Devils Glen Road at 3487 Towne Point Drive.

Would this not be a better place to live if all churches did the same thing at least once a year? Maybe even more frequently.

Is anybody there? Does anybody care?

Instead of listening to a starchy sermon, the work of God could be done with bare hands and bent backs.

Good examples: Alicia Seligman of Bettendorf helped tear down a ratty garage in Davenport and cleared away the debris.  Deidra Mowen of Coal Valley was with a crew that picked up trash on Ben Butterworth Parkway in Moline. “It was fun, and besides, it was a beautiful day,” she says.

There was no particular name for the day. Some called it a “love project.”

“But it worked magnificently,” says Tim Scott, minister of member outreach for Bettendorf Christian. “It was a change of focus for the church.”

Members began their deeds at 9 a.m., the hour when services regularly begin. All were at their appointed or chosen volunteer posts until at least noon. Some were still at it after dark.

This was not a flash-in-the pan event. “It took a fair amount of planning,” says Tim. “Planning began more than three months ago. There was a sign-up for nine areas, working with different agencies to find what people and places needed help. Projects were planned well ahead.”

Mary Hyslop, one of the church volunteers, says, “You can’t believe all the good that was done. One woman had despaired about a basement room with a water problem. It was full of boxes of soaked junk.  She

couldn’t face it, so 20 church members got rid of all the stuff, cleaned the room and painted the walls.  She was overwhelmed.”

There were food baskets for 90 needy families. One family had 11 people living in one house; volunteers were so concerned that they brought food to last for a month.

This was the way it went, often all day long and into the evening. The yard of two seniors was a mess. Thoughtless neighbors were even dumping things into  the yard. One group raked, cut down overgrown shrubs, put in new landscape plantings.  When they left, it looked like a park.

That night, the last of the 800 weary volunteers straggled into the church for a time of sharing, to talk about how it all worked. Alex Cobb asked, “Should we do this again next year?”

He says, “There was a deafening noise. Everyone was shouting ‘yes, yes.’ ”

These were not people who piously sit back and pride themselves that they are in the pews every Sunday. They do God’s wishes … they pay it forward.

Contact Bill Wundram at (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.com.