Richmond Church Cancels Sunday Service to Feed and Clothe 200 Neighbors

Sixth Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, canceled its Sunday worship service on November 2, 2026, to hold a large-scale community giveaway that served roughly 200 people.

The church spent about $25,000 on the event, providing free groceries, clothing, gas cards, grocery store gift cards, and laundry assistance. Volunteers also picked up trash in nearby neighborhoods. A mobile clinic from Sentara offered free flu shots and blood pressure checks.

Pastor Tyrone Nelson said this was the church's 15th year of the "Don't just go to church, be the church" outreach. There was no choir, no offering plate, and no collection during the event.

"People are struggling more than they usually are," Nelson said. The church gives out groceries every Friday and sees many of the same families returning week after week.

"We cancel out worship service, and we take the time that we are usually in worship to serve and to live out the message that we hear on a regular basis, which is to love and be kind and be compassionate," Nelson said.

The church set up a free flea market with clothes, cleaning supplies, electronics, and children's toys. Nelson said the church paid for $5,000 worth of free gas.

Ericka Dewitt-Patillo, who recently finished serving time and is rebuilding her life, attended the event with her mother. "Some people that's just coming home, they don't have shoes, they don't have the stuff that they need," she said. "I feel like this is good to give back."

Nelson said he hopes other churches follow the model. "The more we can get out in the street, out of the building, more we can give versus just receiving, I think it'll show people that the church is alive and real," he said.