Justin Shepard coined the acronym ACTION — Area Churches Together in One Network, which grew out of the first Dowagiac Family Reach-Out free carnival on the Northwest Park youth soccer fields four Junes ago.

“As ministers, we wanted to make a difference in the community, so we formed ACTION,” which now includes a center on Main Street in the former Groner Funeral Home.

The building’s owner, Rotarian Brad Yazel, lets ACTION use it rent-free.

Shepard, pastor of Michiana Church of Christ, 504 E. Prairie Ronde, shared one of his favorite stories, about the Good Samaritan, since it sums up his message Thursday to Dowagiac Rotary Club that people sort out into three groups essentially.

First, those who say, “What’s yours is mine. I’ll take it. That’s the attitude of the thief. Sometimes I think maybe even our government’s going that way of taking from people who have to give to people.”

Second “is the attitude, ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours.’ Leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone. You don’t bother me and I won’t bother you. Sometimes we get used to this. We get comatose to the pain and misfortune of other people, so if we hear of a shooting in Idaho, that’s Idaho’s problem. If it’s in our neighborhood, we care a bit more. I teach in my college classes how many of you would stop and help somebody broken down at the side of the road? There’s an attitude right now of, ‘That’s their problem.’ ”

Finally, “The third kind of person says, ‘What’s mine is yours. I’ll share it.’ If I have resources and you have needs, I’m willing to help you out. That’s what’s behind the creation and ministry of ACTION,” he said at Elks Lodge 889 Thursday noon.

As the Bible story goes, a man walking from Jerusalem to Jericho “fell among thieves, who stripped him of his robes, his garments, and left him for dead. As the Lord told this story, He said a priest came by and didn’t help the man,” as did others.

But the Samaritan stopped and not only helped the man robbed, beaten and left for dead by treating his wounds “and binding him up, he took him to an inn and said to take care of whatever he needed. In that story is every single human being.”

ACTION was also represented by two other officers, Rotarian John Kasper, pastor of First United Methodist Church, and Jon Den Houter, pastor of First Christian Church.

“ACTION is a non-profit organization that has an executive board of directors and a board of trustees,” Shepard said. “It meets the first Tuesday of every month at 2 o’clock in what was the Groner Funeral Home and now is the ACTION Center. it’s a dream God has blessed. The second question of what ACTION is about, it’s about making a difference in our community, like Rotary in a way. But it’s a group of churches and some parachurch organizations which have decided that even though we have different doctrines, there’s a bigger picture of helping people with needs. We set aside doctrinal differences to help people because we think the needs of the people in this area and this community are greater than our differences.”

What all does ACTION do to further that mission?

“In January,” Shepard related, “we support Martin Luther King Day and march. In April, or it depends when Easter comes, we have a combined community Good Friday service. In June, we have the soccer field and Dowagiac Family Reach Out. In August, we have a backpack giveaway for students going back to school.

“We almost have a new ministry because many students go home for the weekend and don’t have food to eat, so the new ministry formed by one of our churches that might become part of ACTION will bring food on Friday for the weekend.

“October, we have Trunk or Treat. November, we have a combined Thanksgiving service for all the churches who want it. There are desperate food pantry needs in our community. We’re looking at counseling ministry to men and women to take care of physical needs, emotional  needs and, yes, even spiritual needs.”

ACTION’s future?

“Only God knows,” he said. “So far, ACTION has gone beyond our vision. It’s just exploded. Betty Knapp was our executive director and her health issues caused her to step down, so we have to pray for God to raise up someone who will direct ACTION.

“We want community awareness of our non-denominational ministry that’s come together and prioritizes the needs of people. This is an economically depressed area. The average income in Dowagiac” is thought to be half of national statistics.

Rotarians wondered how the building itself is used, since most activities described occur off-site.

The ACTION Center opened during the Christmas parade as a warming station for the Chieftain Marching Band and their instruments.

It houses a Thursday night men’s recovery ministry.

“Our church has used it for a Valentine’s party,” Shepard said. “It seats about 85 at round tables like this. Trustees and the executive board provide parameters” for its use by the community.

“Part of our connection with Brad Yazel is that it can be used by families for funeral dinners when they don’t have a connection to a particular church,” Kasper said. “Basically, the city’s given us free rein — whatever we would do in a church, we can do there. ACTION is its own entity. The ministry center in the former funeral home is an arm of it.”

How is it sustained financially? Shepard was asked. “God has done this. All of our funds are in the black” thanks to “a lot of volunteerism. This is the wrong terminology, but people are coming out of the woodwork to help us with their gifts, abilities, talents and money.”