STEP 4: Orchard UMC was recently honored by Church World Service for being a Legacy Congregation, one of the top CROP Hunger Walk fundraising congregations in the United States.

JAMES DEATON
Content Editor

“I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action,” says the writer of the epistle of James (2:18, CEB). These same words have become the heartbeat of Orchard United Methodist Church in Farmington Hills. For 39 years, their faith in God has moved them to walk for others, for those experiencing hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster in other parts of the world. And they have become a leader among peers in the United States.

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, Orchard UMC was honored by Church World Service as a Legacy Congregation. This award is given to only 100 congregational partners of Church World Service across the nation and acknowledges Orchard UMC’s exceptional fundraising efforts over the years for their local CROP Hunger Walk.

Orchard UMC is a congregation full of members with hearts of compassion and a willingness to serve their most vulnerable neighbors near and far. Each year, Team Orchard raises money along with over a dozen other teams for the Farmington / Farmington Hills / West Bloomfield CROP Hunger Walk. This fundraising walk event supports the global work of Church World Service and five hunger agencies in Orchard UMC’s community. Twenty-five percent of the monies raised through the event remain locally. This year’s walk is set for May 5, 2024.

In 2023, Team Orchard raised $35,084 of the $60,028 that was raised through the Farmington / Farmington Hills / West Bloomfield CROP Hunger Walk. They have led fundraising efforts over the 39 years of their local walk, but it has taken off recently. Team Orchard’s fundraising has grown despite complications during the pandemic, and they have regularly been one of the top giving congregations in the United States.

Rachel Kessel, Church World Service’s Community Engagement Specialist for this CROP Hunger Walk, noted in her celebration of Team Orchard’s accomplishment, “Orchard United Methodist Church has consistently been noted as a top 10 CROP Hunger Walk fundraising congregation in the nation, and even in the past few years being a top 5 team nationwide!” Over 500 CROP Hunger Walks are held each year, with each walk having multiple teams support their walk.

Many things have changed in the four decades since the first CROP Hunger Walk. Originally a 10K, the event added a shorter route to encourage more people and families to participate. The COVID-19 pandemic threatened to halt the walk, but people were encouraged to walk in their own neighborhoods or virtually. Online giving was promoted, and funds nearly doubled. Plus, social media allowed friends to contribute and make a difference with just a click of a button when food insecurity was becoming an increasing challenge for many people.

DyAnn St. Clair, Team Orchard’s longtime captain and recruiter, credits the generosity of her church, which, when it sees a need, always responds with compassionate hearts and open hands. DyAnn began in 1986, along with her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, motivated by the rallying cry, “We walk because they walk,” referring to the girls and women in developing countries who had to walk miles daily to bring safe drinking water back to their villages. As a result, many girls have been denied the educational opportunities afforded their male counterparts. This is changing as Church World Service continues to build wells and water transport systems for easy access to safe drinking water. It continues to be an ongoing goal, in addition to teaching sustainable farming techniques and providing disaster relief.

“Walking in this CROP Hunger Walk,” said DyAnn, “is one way I feel I am making a difference in the world, that my life matters, and that, hopefully, I am leaving a legacy to my kids and grandkids. I’m literally trying to ‘walk the walk,’ not just ‘talk the talk.’ ”

DyAnn is passionate about this event and getting as many people from Orchard UMC involved as possible. Everyone can be involved, either as a walker or a donor. During March and April, she wears her CROP Hunger Walk T-shirts from over the years to silently promote the walk. She utilizes resources on the CROP Hunger Walk website, including videos that can be shown during a worship service or coffee hour time and T-shirt designs.

“I post a thermometer that measures our progress toward our goal of $35,000,” DyAnn explains. “We are currently at $28,000. And I am not afraid to ask anyone to walk or donate. I encourage walkers to post on Facebook so that if they aren’t comfortable asking for money, they don’t have to. Thousands of dollars are raised this way. I find ways to bring it into conversation to encourage participation.” She invites other Michigan churches to follow Team Orchard’s progress on this web page.

She is encouraging everyone at Orchard UMC to join in efforts to raise money for the walk, and her energy and enthusiasm are being passed along to others in the congregation. Sunday school classes are bringing in coins and dollars. Alex Hamilton, co-captain of Team Orchard and a sophomore in high school, has been walking for seven years and is doing his part to get everyone involved. On Palm Sunday this year, Alex visited children in Sunday school to recruit them to ask their parents to walk. This is how he got involved. Alex tied his message to Palm Sunday and the parade of walkers who came alongside Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.

The Farmington / Farmington Hills / West Bloomfield CROP Hunger Walk will be held on Sunday, May 5, starting from and ending at Farmington: First UMC, located at 33112 Grand River Ave. in downtown Farmington. Check-in begins at 1 pm ET, and the walk starts at 1:30 pm. There are options for a 1-mile walk or a 3.55-mile walk. Maps are provided, and the routes are marked with highly visible CROP Hunger Walk signs.

DyAnn challenges United Methodists in Michigan to find a CROP Hunger Walk nearby or start their own. Visit the CROP Hunger Walk website to join an existing team, start a team, or make a donation to a team. She notes that Church World Service has staff members willing to help you find resources, connect with a walk, or even put together one of their own.

Rev. Paul Hahm, lead pastor at Orchard UMC, is honored to walk alongside faithful people like DyAnn, Alex, and the rest of the congregation. “Orchard is a congregation with a long history of practicing radical generosity inside and outside the church walls,” notes Paul. “I think the commitment to helping and serving others speaks to a deep sense of gratitude that’s a part of our culture and understanding of our relationship with God.”

Church World Service CROP Hunger Walk is a Step 4 EngageMI Ministry Partner of the Michigan Conference (General Advance #982380). Church World Service began in 1946 following the devastation of World War II. Seventeen Christian denominations came together to provide food, clothing, and medical supplies for war-torn Europe and Asia. Later, they began assisting with refugee resettlement. The United Methodist Church continues to be a member communion of this faith-based nonprofit, which now has programs in over 30 countries. Click to learn more.

Rick Santos, president and CEO of Church World Service, sent his thanks and congratulations to Orchard UMC. “On behalf of CWS, I share our deepest gratitude and appreciation for Orchard United Methodist Church,” says Rick. “The tremendous compassion they have shown to a world in need inspires all of us. The good work they do and the essential funds they have raised manifest God’s never-failing promise. Providing food, shelter, safety, opportunities, and hope to some of the most overlooked people in our community and world honors our shared humanity and faith. With dedicated and generous friends like Orchard UMC, we can build a world where hunger is a memory, home is a promise, and needs are met for all.”