Missionaries and Members March in Colorado Parade

Contributed By Peggy Kinnaird, Church News contributor

  • 31 July 2018

Full-time missionaries from the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission march down the street during the Monument Hill Kiwanis parade in Monument, Colorado.  Photo by Hayden Kinnaird.

Article Highlights

  • Seventy full-time missionaries marched in the parade to build a better relationship with their community.
  • There was a booth with missionaries and another with family history.

Seventy full-time missionaries from the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission marched on the streets of Monument, Colorado—located at the foot of the Rampart Range just north of Colorado Springs—during the annual Monument Hill Kiwanis parade this month.

The missionaries greeted thousands of onlookers by handing out candy and pass-along cards to the crowd as they represented the Church.

“I think the day was an absolute success and worth our time,” said Elder Jackson Lewis from Laie, Hawaii.

“It was super cool to see their faces light up as we were ministering one-to-one as the Savior did,” Elder Lewis continued. “We were there to spread the good word.”

Daniel K. Stevenson, president of the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission, and his wife, Ann Marie, also marched in the parade alongside the missionaries in the 90-degree heat.

Full-time missionaries serving in the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission, Elder Alan Brown, from Loveland, Colorado, and Elder Ariel Soto from Santiago, Chile, give out free water bottles and pass-along cards during the Monument Colorado street fair. Photo by Peggy Kinnaird.

A Colorado Springs North Stake temple and family history consultant talks with local residents in Monument, Colorado, regarding the importance of family history. Photo by Peggy Kinnaird.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to put the face of the Church out there in the public eye,” President Stevenson said. “It opens the door for us and helps build a better relationship between the Church and the community.”

New to the parade this year was a JustServe entry. JustServe.org is a clearinghouse website that connects local organizations in need of service with local volunteers. The website is maintained by the Church.

Several young men and young women from the Colorado Springs Colorado North Stake marched in the parade representing JustServe. They wore JustServe T-shirts and handed out candy and nearly 2,000 stickers with website information printed on them.

The annual parade has been organized by the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club for the past 30 years. The organization welcomes any parade entry whether it’s religious or secular, according to Harry Brandon, Lieutenant Governor for Division 4 of the Rocky Mountain District Kiwanis Club.

“The parade is a community function and there is a feeling of camaraderie, brotherhood, and togetherness. It is obvious that everyone is very happy to be here,” he said.

The Family of Christ Lutheran Church and Monument Hill Church were also represented in the parade.

The celebration also included a Palmer Lake Fun Run, pancake breakfast, children’s parade, Fuel Church Kid Zone, live music, and the Monument Street Fair with more than 100 booths.

The Church occupied two booths in the fair, one manned by the full-time missionaries. The second booth represented the Colorado Springs North Family History Center. Charlyn McAllister, stake temple and family history consultant, and her husband, Neil McAllister, talked to members of the community from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“The family history booth was a great success. We talked with many people who were interested in learning more about their family history,” Sister McAllister said. “I felt like it was, overall, a positive missionary experience.”

Several youth from the Colorado Springs North Stake represent JustServe during the Monument Hill Kiwanis parade. Photo by Russ Ford.

  Listen