06/16/2026
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 🕊️🛠️
On Saturday, June 13, Monroe Street United Methodist Church hosted a community Firearm Disposal Event that far exceeded everyone's projections!
𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓-𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕:
▪️107 fi****ms were safely removed from circulation (more than double what we projected!).
▪️60+ vehicles were shepherded through the drive-through disposal process.
▪️50+ volunteers braved a very hot, sunny day—including 12 from Olivet alongside volunteers from eight other Toledo-area faith communities.
𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲
Our volunteers heard powerful, moving stories from participants. Some shared that the surrendered fi****ms had been used by an adult child to die by su***de, and seeing them destroyed finally brought a sense of closure. Others, including widows, turned in inherited fi****ms they discovered were still loaded.
𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀
In a beautiful witness of faith, gun parts were set aside to create works of art. Two pastors operated mobile forges and anvils, literally transforming gun parts into garden tools to act out Isaiah’s vision of “beating swords into plowshares” (Isaiah 2:4).
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆
Olivet was proud to be a lead sponsor alongside Trinity Episcopal Church, Toledo Mennonite Church, and Salem Lutheran Church, with Monroe Street UMC graciously hosting.
𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏'𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚:
▪️Over $600 was contributed following April worship services.
▪️Three anonymous Olivet donors stepped forward during the event to provide an additional $1,200 for gift cards, allowing organizers to continue serving participants late into the afternoon.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated, prayed, and helped spread the word. Together, we helped make our community safer and offered hope, healing, and a tangible expression of God's vision for peace. ❤️👇
