San Diego's Rock Church Pledges 200,000 Hours to Mayor

Contact: Melany Ethridge, A. Larry Ross Communications, 972-267-1111, melany@alarryross.com

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- During the tumultuous 2009 economy, following the lead of Pastor Miles McPherson, his congregation committed 100,000 hours in volunteer service to the City of San Diego, for duties such as park clean-up and painting playground equipment -- work that would have gone undone due to the city's budget shortfalls.  Gov. Schwarzenegger has recently warned Californians that the belt-tightening will need to continue in 2010, prompting the Rock to double the amount of work it plans to give to its beleaguered city budget.

"We believe we were able to provide some much needed manpower in meeting the physical needs of our city last year," McPherson said. "We also believe that each of us needs to be involved in our communities as much as our communities need us."  This is a key principle McPherson shares in his new book out this month, "Do Something: Make Your Life Count," from Baker Publishing Group.

By sharing these principles with his congregation during the past year, church members were inspired to "do something" to help others.  McPherson helped them discover that everyone has something to give -- great or small -- and helping just one person makes a big difference.  "We took this to heart, and were able to go out into the community and give hands and feet to the message we preach, and as a result, we were blessed and our church and ministry impact have grown more than we ever imagined," McPherson said.

In fact, Mayor Jerry Sanders was so appreciative of the church's volunteerism that he publicly commended McPherson and the Rock. "I can't thank you enough for your commitment to the San Diego community...The DO Something volunteer campaign is an outstanding way to encourage people to 'give back' and the City is grateful for the Rock's committing 100,000 volunteer hours," Sanders said.  While the church had committed 100,000 hours for 2009, it actually completed 166,251 hours, valued at $2.6 million* in manpower hours to the City of San Diego. 

In addition to its 200,000 hour commitment to the City of San Diego, the Rock plans to give 700,000 hours to the entire community, also increasing by 100,000 the number of hours it gave in 2009. The value of this kind of commitment is estimated at more than $10 million -- a significant number by anyone's estimation.

These numbers compare favorably with other volunteer-oriented organizations on a national scale. Starbucks employees nationwide, for example, served 300,000 hours last year -- half that of the Rock's numbers, which is one church in one market. Disney is challenging one million individuals to volunteer for a day, to receive a free day-pass to a Disney theme park. United Way regional offices generally see volunteer service in the range of several hundred thousand hours. With President Obama's emphasis on volunteerism, "Do Something" offers individuals a chance to become a part of this much bigger picture. 

"I am so proud of our church, and the approximately 2,500 'Rock Heroes' who gave of their time, talent and treasure last year," McPherson said.  "But what really excites me is seeing this duplicated at other churches in our city and across our nation. I want to challenge congregations everywhere to become 'DO Something' churches -- imagine what a difference it could make in our world."

Other individuals, groups and churches can explore ideas and suggestions for how they can become involved at www.dosomethingworld.org, a website dedicated to spreading the Do Something movement worldwide. It offers everything from tips and hints for small things individuals can do, all the way to instructions for beginning a full-fledged group ministry, with opportunities for individuals and groups to share suggestions, upload videos and photos telling their own stories and other interactive resources.

"Do Something" released from Baker Books on Jan. 1, 2010.  At 224 pages, it retails for $19.99 in both mainstream and Christian bookstores.

Miles McPherson is founder and pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego. Following his NFL career -- as a defensive back for the San Diego Chargers from 1982-85 -- he founded Miles Ahead Ministries, through which more than 45,000 young people have made decisions for Christ. When he started The Rock Church in 2000, more than 3,300 people attended on its first day. The predominantly young, urban congregation has grown to an average of 12,000 with more than 100 ministries, at least 74 of them volunteer-led community ministries. McPherson has appeared on Larry King Live, Good Morning America, The O'Reilly Factor, and Fox & Friends. He and his wife have three children and live in San Diego.

*Median wage calculated by O*Net®

Note to Editors: To receive a review copy of "Do Something" or to schedule an interview with Miles McPherson, please contact Melany Ethridge of A. Larry Ross Communications at 972.267.1111 or melany@alarryross.com.

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