Parishoners step beyond church walls to serve the community

It's not often that one receives a service or a meal or an item free of charge, but that's what happened last weekend when about a hundred people took part in the three-day free-of-charge event sponsored by Mount Auburn Christian Church. The goal was to have parishoners step outside the church walls and serve the Cape Girardeau community.

Coordinated by Casey Elmore, the church's preaching minister, and his wife, Ashley, the weekend had parishoners doing everything from handing out water bottles on the La Croix trail to putting together a dinner for foster parents and making some improvements to Hope Children's Home in Jackson,

The inspiration for the weekend's activities is the Bible verse Galatians 5:13: "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in with all of the events at one point or another. The group went to a nursing home, where it led residents in gospel-singing and bingo. At the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, volunteers served lunch.

Ashley Elmore said the weekend was a huge hit; the group was asked when it might return to the nursing home, because most groups visit only around holidays like Christmas, and the nursing home residents wanted them to come back whenever they can.

A highlight, she said, was the Saturday appreciation dinner for foster parents, held at the church. Another highlight was a Laundromat visit, where patrons were handed quarters to run the machines and baskets with laundry products, including home-made detergent. They also donated clothes to the Hope Chest, a center for foster care-givers.

Laundry baskets containing homemade detergent were distributed in the community by Mount Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau.FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com

"At Mount Auburn Christian Church, we take seriously the fact that God is love. The goal for our Free of Charge weekend is simple, really ... to get out and love the community through a variety of service projects together. Most of the people who attend Mount Auburn serve the community in several ways regularly. This is just a way for us to join together in our efforts .... Helping others is and will continue to be a growing part of who we are because it's the essence of God," Casey Elmore wrote in an email to the Southeast Missourian. "Mount Auburn Christian Church is simply a group of people who understands what it feels like to experience the loving, forgiving, caring grace and mercy of God, so we want to share that with others."

Casey and Ashley said they believe that the weekend was a huge hit and they look forward to repeating the event.

"Everyone wants to do it again," said Ashley Elmore. Although they don't have a definite time or date in place to do another Free of Charge weekend, they intend to have the event in the future.

More information about the church is available at its website, mtauburncc.org, or by calling 573-803-2050.

Pertinent address: 930 N. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau