Collaboration is hard at work in Elizabethtown, and it's resulting in a better community. United Churches Elizabethtown Area (UCEA) is a group of churches from different denominations and Christian beliefs that have come together with a common mission: to promote fellowship and cooperation among the churches while also providing programs to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of people in Elizabethtown.

"We are working together for the greater good," said Derrick McDonald, president of UCEA.

UCEA formed in 1969, when local churches saw a need for quality, affordable child care in the community. "The ministers in town decided to get together and pray for the community to see how they could work together," McDonald stated. Their first project was the creation of the Elizabethtown Child Care Center. Although that organization now operates separately from UCEA, the two groups still partner on some projects, McDonald noted, and UCEA has expanded its reach as well. Among the initiatives organized by UCEA are Meals on Wheels, which provides food to more than 50 senior citizens who cannot cook for themselves; the Clothing Barn, which serves more than 300 people annually; and Community Cupboard, which provides free food to approximately 200 people monthly.

In 2018, UCEA established Community Place on Washington, a social services complex that houses the group's programs as well as Elizabethtown Community Housing and Outreach Services, Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care and more. McDonald remarked that several other organizations, including GEARS and Jewel David Ministries, are in the process of coming to Community Place on Washington as well.

He noted that of the 31 churches in the greater Elizabethtown area, 17 are part of UCEA. "We are always looking for churches that have not participated in a while to come back or for churches that have never participated at all to join us," he said, adding that volunteers are always welcome for the various UCEA ministries as well.

The success of UCEA has caught the attention of communities outside the region, McDonald commented, adding that the group has fielded calls from churches in New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut and as far away as Tennessee. "They want to know more about how it all works and wonder if they can bring it to their community," he explained.

McDonald said UCEA recently had a celebration to thank program volunteers and honor the organization's longevity. "We are a very unique organization, and our mission and how we go about our mission is unique," he stated. "We are all Christians, and we care about one another as a community. We have a shared vision. I'm just happy that all of these churches saw that if we're all working together and we're all teaming up, that's the best way to better serve our community."

For more information on UCEA, visit https://communityplaceetown.org, email unitedchurchesetown@gmail.com or call McDonald at 717-979-5601.