What can nearly 100 people accomplish in just a few hours?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

On August 30th, volunteers from Well House Church and throughout the community traded a typical Sunday morning for paintbrushes, tools, cleaning supplies and helping hands during the church’s annual “A Day for Good.”

Now in its fourth year, A Day for Good is built around a simple idea: instead of just talking about loving and serving your neighbors, go out into the community and do it.

“We were just looking for opportunities to be in the community, to be helpful, and to serve others well,” said Steve Cunningham, Lead Pastor of Well House Church.

For Steve, that has been part of the vision since he and his family arrived in the area nearly five years ago.

Rather than creating new programs where good work was already taking place, the church began looking for ways to support schools, organizations, nonprofits and individuals who could use an extra set, or sometimes dozens of sets, of hands.

The philosophy behind it is one Steve sums up simply: “We are better together.”

This year, nearly 100 volunteers were divided among eight locations across the community, serving places including Goodlettsville Elementary School, Gateway Elementary School, Brookdale Senior Living, KinderCare Learning Center, the Millersville Police Department, and local neighborhoods.

And this isn’t a show up and figure it out kind of operation.

Before the event, volunteers register and indicate the types of work they are comfortable doing, such as painting, organizing, construction, or woodworking.

Organizers visit project sites ahead of time, evaluate what needs to be done, and have supplies waiting when volunteers arrive.

By around 9:30 a.m., teams are on their way.

Then something pretty remarkable happens.

By 12:00, most, if not all, teams are finished.

“Everyone says, ‘How in the world could you ever get that much work done in that amount of time?’” Steve said.

The answer, he explained, is a combination of preparation and people who genuinely want to help.

“The volunteers are ready to go when they show up,” he said. “It is amazing how much work you can get done in a short amount of time when everybody…is just ready to work hard.”

Goodlettsville Elementary School offered a perfect example this year.

The school had received two portable classrooms because it had run out of space for students. However, both needed some attention.

One needed to be painted, while the other was filled with old materials and clutter and had damaged flooring.

Approximately 20 volunteers arrived around 9:45 a.m., and in the span of just a few hours, they painted one portable, cleaned out the other, removed the old tile floor, cleaned everything up, and even tackled several additional projects.

While much of the work happens on A Day for Good, the spirit of volunteerism has never really been limited to a single day.

Over the years, volunteers from Well House Church have helped schools, childcare centers, nursing homes, police departments, foster families, animal rescue organizations, and individual residents.

And some needs require more than paint or yard work.

Steve remembers a single mother of three who was putting herself through school but didn’t have a vehicle.

Through community partnerships and connections, Well House Church provided her with a reliable car at no cost.

Another Millersville resident was facing eviction because her home had fallen into serious disrepair.

Volunteers worked with the local code enforcement officer to determine what needed to be fixed and then helped complete the necessary improvements.

“Depending on the project, sometimes it’s more than just a day,” Steve said.

And when needs arise throughout the year, the church doesn’t necessarily wait until the next A Day for Good.

Following a damaging ice storm, a group of volunteers armed with chainsaws and other equipment spent a day helping clean up fallen trees and debris.

This summer, the church partnered with the YMCA on a food giveaway program, distributing food in the community every Wednesday night.

“We try to be really plugged in so that when we see the needs, we can kind of address them instead of waiting for a full year to do it,” Steve said.

One of the most encouraging parts of A Day for Good has been watching the effort grow beyond the walls of the church.

Local businesses, nonprofit organizations and community volunteers have joined in through sponsorships, donations and hands-on service.

Steve credits early support from community leaders, including former Goodlettsville Chamber of Commerce President Marilee Tice and former Goodlettsville Middle School Assistant Principal Angie Deel, who helped the church begin making connections and identifying opportunities to serve.

Today, the efforts of A Day for Good have become so widely known that people sometimes contact Steve directly with ideas for future projects.

In fact, just days after this year’s event, someone had already reached out with another potential project for next year.

“I just got a call yesterday from somebody who said, ‘I know what you guys do, and I have a project for you for next time this rolls around,’” he recalled.

That may be one of the best measures of A Day for Good’s success: people now know there is a group willing to show up when someone needs a hand.

A church doesn’t have to stay inside a building to make an impact.

In fact, sometimes its most meaningful work happens when people walk out the doors and into their community.

Well House Church has been a mobile church for 12 years and is currently exploring possibilities for a permanent home, but not having a building of its own hasn’t stopped the church from finding its place in the community.

“We’ve never been opposed to having our own facility,” Steve said. “Just the right space and the right time and all those things have never quite aligned for us.”

In the meantime, the church has chosen not to wait.

“We’re content to be able to do what God has called us to do whether we have a permanent home or not,” Steve said. “We’ll just keep doing it.”

And perhaps there is no better example of that philosophy than A Day for Good.

For one Sunday morning, nearly 100 people scattered throughout the community with one goal: leave something better than they found it.

A freshly painted classroom.

A cleaned-up space.

A repaired home.

Food for a family.

Help after a storm.

A senior who knows someone cares.

A police department that feels supported.

Individually, they may seem like small things.

Together, they can change the way a community feels.

And that is the beauty of A Day for Good.

It demonstrates what can happen when people stop asking whether they can make a difference and simply start helping.

As Steve puts it, “We are better together.”

Well House Church currently meets at the Millersville Community Center in Goodlettsville with Sunday services at 10:00 a.m.

Those interested in future A Day for Good projects can connect with Well House Church to learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities and ways to serve alongside others in the community.