It’s going to take something more than COVID to bring Servant Saturday to a halt.
For the past 15 years, members of Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church have dedicated a Saturday in the spring and fall to help others in North Royalton and surrounding communities with various projects. Some of the activities involve raking leaves, yard work and household chores. Other activities involve playing bingo with nursing home residents and cleaning up animal shelters and parks.
“Being the ‘hands and feet’ of Jesus is about sharing the love of Christ in tangible and practical ways, and that’s what Servant Saturday is all about.” shared Pastor John Zahrte, Senior Pastor at Royal Redeemer. “We are so thankful for the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love through these acts of service. It’s truly awesome to see the Body of Christ at work in our community.”
Lisa Martin of Royal Redeemer helps to coordinate the Servant Saturdays in the spring and fall. Lisa estimated that 350 church members were called to serve on Servant Saturday. “We have all kinds of volunteer activities available. Not everyone will have a rake or a shovel in their hands.”
In the years before COVID, everyone gathered before Servant Saturday began and had breakfast. After the activities were completed, everyone returned to Royal Redeemer and enjoyed lunch. They also swapped stories about whose house they were at and what activities they accomplished. On Servant Saturday during COVID, breakfast was eaten ‘on the go’, lunch was in a brown bag and some volunteers went directly to their assignments instead of meeting at Royal Redeemer.
One of the families that benefited from Servant Saturday was John and Charlotte Williams who live in North Royalton. Five years ago, Charlotte read an article in the Royalton Recorder about Servant Saturday and reached out for help. Both John and Charlotte are wheelchair bound and need help with yard work.
“We are so grateful that volunteers from Servant Saturday come twice a year, in the spring and in the fall” said Charlotte. “They are so helpful.”
On Saturday, October 2, the volunteers cleared the branches off Williams’ roof, dug a hole for a bird feeder, raked leaves, and gathered tree limbs off the ground. While John and Charlotte moved around their yard with their motorized wheelchairs, there are some tasks they are unable to do.
Rex and Janet Delventhal were part of the crew that worked at the Williams’ home. “God compels us to help those who need it. That’s what Servant Saturday is all about.”
Anna Karoly, who worked at the Williams home as well, said “the Bible tells us that Jesus helped others and served his fellow man. And that’s what we are doing today. People helped me when I was dealing with cancer. I am giving back now by helping others.”
Royal Redeemer also got help from four volunteers from the Key Bank Neighbors Make a Difference Day. The volunteers were at Royal Redeemer on September 14, to assemble 90 gift bags for the residents of The Lutheran Home at Concord Reserve in Westlake. Traditionally on Servant Saturday Royal Redeemer sends a group of singers and musicians to sing hymns with interested folks. The gift bags accompanied the singers as a special way to remind the Concord residents how much they are loved by Royal Redeemer Church. Because of COVID, visitors to the facility have been restricted but the gift bags were dropped off.
Terry Close of Royal Redeemer said, “without the help of the Key Bank volunteers, this project wouldn’t have been possible. I can’t thank the Key Bank employees enough for their volunteerism and Key Bank corporate for promoting a philosophy of giving back to the community.”
By JOE JASTRZEMSKI
Contributing Writer
