Welcome to Day of Joy

Our Story

In January 2023, while attending the Rock School of Ministry at the Rock Church in Bangor, Maine, Jim Michaud and Mike McDonald would leave the school at night and see the homeless in the community sleeping in tents, just trying to survive. They asked themselves "how can we help the less fortunate?” and then the idea of a Day of Joy was envisioned where the homeless, many with families and children, could gather and be supported by a caring community.

Through the grace of God, generous donations, and caring volunteers, and in partnership with local nonprofits, churches, ministries, and businesses, the first Day of Joy event was held at the Bangor waterfront on July 19, 2023, and has evolved into an annual event where our homeless friends and neighbors participate in a day of Christian fellowship, evangelical speakers, prayer and salvations, food, music, free haircuts, and family entertainment.

The tagline for the Day of Joy, Feed the Body – Feed the Soul, embodies our mission to share the gospel with the unhoused and impoverished members of our community.

This Christian community event has grown from a one-day, summer event to caring for those in need all year long. Through our outreach ministries, we distribute food, clothes, and Bibles and provide free salon services to those that might otherwise not have access to them.

The 2024 Day of Joy event will be held at the Bangor Waterfront on August 31st. Through God’s grace, your generous contributions, and your willingness to volunteer, we expect this year’s event to positively impact the lives of even more individuals experiencing homelessness.

Day of Joy - Founded January 2023

Our Mission

Feed the body, Feed the soul

Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who may not have access to it!

Luke 3:10-11
The Good News: “If you have extra — whether it be clothing or food — you should be willing to share it with those who are less fortunate and in need. Your generosity and compassion for helping those who are struggling and less fortunate is so important right now.”

Upcoming Events

JOIN US FOR THE FUN, FELLOWSHIP, FOOD, AND FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

  • Free breakfast, BBQ, and cotton candy
  • Live bands performing--highlighting Recording Artist Vanessa Vhay; Not By Works Band; Dave and Laura McIntyre; upcoming recording artist Mike Corbin; Calvary Worship Team from the greater Portland area; Ben and the Rock Boys; Vanessa Productions, and more
  • Evangelical speakers including Billy Alley, Matt Harvey, Terry Jenkins, John Walker, Aaron Dudley, CRD, Arise, and others
  • Feats of Strength featuring Randy Dodge
  • Family games for all ages

  • Multiple prize giveaways (you must be present to win)

August 31, 2024

Come join us for the 2nd annual Day of Joy event, which will be held at the Bangor Waterfront on Saturday, August 31. The organizers of this Christian event believe that it is the collective responsibility of the community to share the gospel and bring public awareness of the challenges of the unhoused and impoverished members of the Greater Bangor Area.

Share a smile, a prayer, a conversation, and a meal with your homeless friends and neighbors as you participate in a day of Christian fellowship, evangelical speakers, prayer and salvations (including baptisms), food, music, and free haircuts.

If you would like to contribute your time and/or support to increase the outreach and impact of this event, please email info@dayofjoyinc.org or complete the volunteer or contact form on this site expressing your desire to participate. As the date gets closer, we will share more detailed information about specific activities.

In the weeks leading up to this event, please connect with us through the dynamic power of prayer.

Meet the Founders

Founding Partners: Jim Michaud and Mike McDonald

Jim Michaud - I am a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I love my family and beautiful wife, Heather, as well as my Rock Church family. I am currently in my second year at the Rock School of Ministry, serve as Lead Usher for Sunday services and interim Bangor Usher Coordinator, attend the Tuesday morning prayer group at the Bangor campus, facilitate a small group called “Discovering Biblical Truths”, volunteer one day a month for senior commodities for Eastern Area on Aging, and serve as Assistant Manager of the Samaritan, Inc. food pantry held at the Rock Church each Saturday.

My life before accepting Christ was quite different; hence my passion is sharing the gospel those who are struggling with poverty, drug addiction, or homelessness. My ongoing mission is collecting clothing and other essential items to distribute to the homeless community throughout the year.

Mike McDonald – A devoted husband and father, I reside in Hermon with my amazing wife, Tonya, and son Hunter. After surrendering my life to Jesus Christ, I attended the first year of the Rock School of Ministry. Called to serve God and the community, I attended Growth Track and joined the Dream Team as a lead usher and later accepted the leadership position as Greeter Coordinator for the Bangor Rock Church campus. On Friday nights, I co-facilitate the Discovering Biblical Truths small group. I am currently active in the ongoing Rock Men’s small group and participate in group activities.

God has changed my life for the better and I want to spread love, joy, and kindness to those who need to feel the hope and love of Jesus Christ.

Support our Ministries.
Make a Difference.

Our Ministries

The Day of Joy needs volunteers in all ministries listed below. Please fill out the Volunteer Form and select the type of ministry that interests you. Someone will be in touch with you to discuss how you can play a part in blessing the homeless community.

Food is one of the highlights of the Day of Joy as it fulfills part of the mission to Feed the Body; Feed the Soul. Do you have community contacts? We need donations of food for our BBQ luncheon; grills and grill chefs to grill the hamburgers and hotdogs; and people to serve the meals and make connection with the homeless community.

Through our clothing ministry, we take donations of gently used or new clothing such as coats, sweaters, socks, gloves, scarves, knit hats, thermal pants and tops, sweatpants, jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes, and work boots.

These donations provide our homeless community with a change of clothes and help them stay warm in the cold weather.

On the Day of Joy, we need individuals to sort and organize our clothing donations to make it easier to distribute the donated articles.

Spiritual Outreach

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To Feed the Soul, we need evangelical speakers, prayer warriors, and people to distribute Bibles to spread the gospel to the Day of Joy attendees.

The Day of Joy website has a form that viewers can fill out to request prayer. Someone could receive the prayer requests, type them, and send them to the Rock Church to include in the weekly prayer meetings at each of the campuses.

The purpose of the Music Ministry is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through song. Our Music Ministry is made up of worshipers who want to use their gifts and talents to serve the Lord.

If you're looking for a place to be involved at the Day of Joy and you are gifted with musical talent, then choose to become a part of the Music Ministry.

Logistics

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Our setup and teardown teams perform the behind-the-scenes activities before, during, and after the main event. While the Logistics Team’s main responsibility is to ensure that the physical requirements of the event (such as setting up and tearing down tents and staging) run smoothly, the Logistics Team should be available during the event to handle any immediate needs.

Tech Support

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The Tech Team provides hands-on technical assistance and performs various technical production activities in support of the Day of Joy Event. Experience with stage management, audio engineering and recording, lighting design, audio/visual equipment operation (computer, data projector, projection screen, portable sound system, etc.).

Public Relations

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As part of the Public relations team, you play an important role in event management by helping to promote and publicize the event, manage media relations, and maintain a social media presence through the Day of Joy website and Facebook pages. if you have graphic design and creative writing skills, you may be tasked to develop, design, and produce a variety of promotional materials, including flyers, brochures, advertisements, e-mails, banners/posters, etc. for both print and digital platforms.

Security / Medical

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In addition to “boots on the ground,” the Security team is responsible for planning and implementing access control measures and employing effective crowd management strategies that safeguard against possible security issues while promoting an atmosphere of celebration and joy.

The Medical team’s role is to provide immediate event medical services and assistance to event attendees. If you are an EMT or have other emergency medical experience, you may help set up and staff a first aid station to ensure that the necessary supplies and professional staffing levels needed to respond to medical emergencies are available.

Registration / Information

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Above all, the role of the Registration personnel is to provide an amazing event check-in experience! The check-in staff is the face of Day of Joy event and sets the tone for the event. We would love to have you share your friendly smile as you welcome attendees to the event.

Or perhaps you would prefer to staff the Information table. Your job would be the “go to” person for any questions about the event. You might direct people to different venues or hand out important information, etc.

Salon Services

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The mobile salon will provide free haircuts, washes, styling, manicures, and toiletries to those that do not have access to those services. A haircut or manicure or pedicure may not address the long-term problem of homelessness, but it can certainly help boost the self-esteem of the men and women who receive them.

If you are a hairdresser or a nail tech who is willing to offer your salon services free during the Day of Joy, please contact our mobile salon. We also need contributions of basic hygiene and self-care products to perform these services for the homeless community. Can you contribute salon supplies, such as soap, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, brushes and combs, shaving cream, razors, nail files and clippers, and nail polish, etc. so these salon professionals can do what they do best.

Volunteer

Become a volunteer today

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

– Leo Buscaglia

Partner with Us

Thank you for being such an important part of the Day of Joy. We are so thankful that you are partnering with us and helping us expand the reach of the event, supporting the important cause of homelessness, and inspiring others to join our mission.

Click the image link to visit the partner website.

Additional partners added as needed.

Thank you to our generous donors!
  • Bobbi Sanderlin
  • Vanessa Vhay
  • Your Name Can Be Here
  • $1000 Unknown
  • The Rock Church
  • Bob and Mary Richardson
  • Jon Richardson
  • $36.40 Unknown
  • Valley Home Services
  • KR Electric
  • AJ
  • Chases Family Restaurant
  • John Walker
  • Michael Elliot
  • Karen Dee Michaud

How Can We Pray for You Today?

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

Prayer Request form

Or, you can just send an email: info@dayofjoyinc.org

Testimonials

Get in touch

Contact form

Or, you can just send an email: info@dayofjoyinc.org