For many people, the pandemic has only strengthened their desire to reach out and lend a hand to those in need.
For the third time since the pandemic started, the community of Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church has come together to perform service projects in North Royalton and surrounding suburbs. And though their volunteer event, “Servant Saturday,” didn’t stem from the pandemic (it’s been a staple of the church for more than a decade), it has created many new service project opportunities and renewed feelings of stewardship.
“I especially enjoy seeing all of the new people we are able to help each time,” said Coordinator Lisa Martin in the days leading up to the May 1 service event. She added that the need for help has jumped since the pandemic began.
Last weekend, more than 350 volunteers signed up to perform a service project. Projects ranged from yard work at homes in North Royalton, Strongsville and Parma, greenhouse work at Gardenview Horticultural Park in Strongsville, housekeeping tasks at Parma Animal Shelter, window cleaning, craft assembly for Vacation Bible School, card making to brighten a senior’s day, thank-you cards and gift basket donations for local educators, placemat decorating for the church’s Community Meal, and the baking and delivery of thank-you cookies to safety personnel and various city/government workers in North Royalton, Strongsville and Brunswick.
For the first time since the pandemic began, volunteers were welcomed back on-site at the Royalton Road church to perform their service project. Volunteers could also assemble their projects at home and drop them off at the church for delivery. Yard work and other clean-up tasks were performed at individual homes and sites.
The pandemic has changed how some projects are performed, and it’s also cancelled some projects altogether, like visiting nursing homes to do crafts and play bingo with residents, Martin noted. But the need and desire to help remains consistent.
“I’m a strong believer in being involved within the community of the church, and even within just a five-mile radius of the church, there are so many people in need,” Martin said. “That’s something I’ve really picked up on, and involving my kids with volunteering and saying, ‘Ok, it’s not about doing yard work today at home, it’s about doing it for someone else.’”
The bi-annual “Servant Saturday” event is open to anyone who enjoys lending a hand, whether a member of the church or a visitor. It’s a wonderful demonstration of the tenants of the church’s faith and anchor within the community.
“It’s truly awesome to see the Body of Christ at work in this way,” shares Senior Pastor John Zahrte of Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church. “We are called to be servants of God. It’s so important, especially right now, that we continue to head out into our communities and help in whatever way we can, joyfully reflecting the love of Jesus to the people we meet. God blesses us so that we can bless others, and this event is a wonderful, powerful way to do just that.”