Habitat for Humanity volunteers help place floor joists .

"This is a one-day mission blitz for the community," said pastor Norman Harris. "Different churches help in different ways. We¼re trying to do it all in one day."

After an 8:40 a.m. prayer service at the church, volunteers got started on 19 different tasks including cleaning yards, cutting and delivering wood, picking up trash along roads, painting houses, cleaning houses and a variety of handyman chores. In the church parking lot, a car-care clinic was taking place with car belts checked and fluids and oil changed. While car owners waited, they received a free blood pressure check.

Children baked and delivered cookies to firefighters and police officers to thank them for their service, and birthday presents were made for Meals on Wheels clients who are unable to leave their homes. Eyeglasses were collected to be donated to people who cannot afford eye care, and heart-shaped pillows were made for the American Cancer Society.

At Elon Home for Children, tutoring took place all day, while other church members visited family homes where they sang and played bingo.

Children stop by the local police station to deliver cookies they baked.

"We are training churches in ways they can impact their community in a blitz kind of way," said Richard Brunson of N.C. Baptist Men, which sponsored the pilot project in Alamance County. Snyder Memorial Church in Fayetteville has a similar program.

First Church planned the event for seven months, and assembled a manual to advise other churches on how to plan a blitz. And the whole day was such a success that plans are being made for a Project Love in Action day in the spring, said coordinator Shirley Hall.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Information for this story was obtained from the Greensboro News & Record and a news release from Elon College First Church.)