Plano churches learn value of collaboration rather than competition

PLANO—A 5K run to raise money for an endowment fund managed by a Catholic parish may not sound like an appealing venture for some Baptist churches, but Markus Lloyd at Legacy Church in Plano saw it as an opportunity to collaborate to meet local needs.

Lloyd, minister to children at Legacy Church, recalled an incident several years ago that made a deep impression. When he served on staff at another church, he saw churches in close proximity to each other duplicating efforts for Halloween-alternative events.

At the conclusion of the 2010 Seton Soles 5K Run, Markus Lloyd (3rd from left), minister to children at Legacy Church in Plano, joins representatives St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Collin Creek Community Church and Grace Community Church in making a presentation to an endowment fund to promote biblical justice in Collin County.

“I saw multiple fall festivals at churches, sometimes literally across the street from each other. I had to wonder if non-Christians looked at that and wondered why these people competed with each other instead of collaborating,” he said.

When Lloyd arrived at Legacy Church more than three years ago, he realized six other churches were in his church’s ZIP code—all within about a one-mile radius. He contacted the children’s ministers at those churches, and together, the group began exploring ways to pool resources and work together on common goals.

One prospective project the group discussed involved developing an event that would raise funds to meet needs in the community and involve families in an activity they could enjoy together. The ministers decided a 5K fun run would be a perfect fit.

“Then we found out St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church already was doing it,” Lloyd said. The Catholic parish sponsored a fund-raising event to benefit the Monsignor Henry V. Petter Endowment Fund that helps people in Collin County who are struggling with economic hardships and are victimized by social injustice.

After some discussion, three churches in the group decided to designate Lloyd to talk with representatives of the Catholic parish to explore the possibility of working together.

“When I talked with them, they said, ‘We had been praying about opening this up to others outside our church,’” he recalled.

Legacy Church joined Collin Creek Community Church, a Wesleyan congregation, and Grace Community Church, a nondenominational fellowship, in working with the Catholic parish on the 2010 Seton Soles 5K event, raising about $60,000 for the endowment fund.

This year, West Plano Presbyterian Church joined Legacy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Collin Creek Community churches in the 5K run and a related family fair.

Lloyd acknowledged that the collaborative effort required conservative evangelicals getting past two terms that created a hurdle for some—“Catholic church” and “social justice.”

Runners participate in the Seton Soles 5K, a fund-raising event to benefit the Monsignor Henry V. Petter Endowment Fund that promotes biblical justice and helps people in Collin County who are struggling with economic hardships. The event involved about 250 volunteers from four churches, including Legacy Church of Plano.

“There’s a historical animosity between Catholics and Protestants, but most people who go to church now don’t have a clue what it’s about. There were a few who said: ‘Why do it? They’re not like us.’ But it really wasn’t a big problem,” he said.

“The other challenge was that the idea of biblical justice is not necessarily something all denominations are familiar with.”

Even so, the event—which has drawn about 1,000 runners each of the last two years—involved about 250 volunteers from four participating churches.

It also has led to other collaborative ventures. For instance, the Catholic church opened up membership on the advisory board of its community endowment to representatives from other churches, including Pastor Gene Wilkes from Legacy Church.

“I had a friend who said something like: ‘Ministerial alliances used to hold joint services. This looks like they are now serving jointly. I like the change.’” Wilkes said.

Other collaborative events that involve multiple churches include a midsummer family show, “worship in the park” services slated for Sept. 11 and—hearkening back to the event that first sparked Lloyd’s passion for cooperative efforts—a fall festival involving several churches.

Lloyd sees the benefits of those collaborative exercises both at the congregational and the personal level.

“I remember how nervous I was when I walked into a Catholic church for the first time. This year, I felt like I was part of the family. If we hadn’t worked together, I would have missed out on that feeling and missed the chance to be connected with so many great people,” he said.

“I guess the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to just walk across the street and shake a hand.”