Church members pitch in for volunteer duties around region

In the parking lot of Mount Auburn Christian Church, near the big, hand-painted sign that advertised “Free Car Wash,” the child volunteers who weren’t already drenched and elbow-deep in soap buckets were painting an even bigger one.

On Friday and Saturday, members of the church volunteered in about a dozen different capacities around Cape Girardeau and Jackson, including pulling weeds and planting flowers, picking up trash and delivering bags of groceries for area families.

“Jesus loved us, he sacrificed to save us, so it’s always been his command to do that unto others,” said Casey Elmore, one of the volunteer coordinators. “This is our fourth or fifth one. Usually, we have two per year.”

But the car washes were where the volunteers said the fun was. (There was one going simultaneously at the Jackson Police Department.)

Kasyiah Neighbors, 7, said she didn’t even mind getting up early on a Saturday for the car wash. She’d been looking forward to it.

Volunteers Bleau Deckerd, left, and Rick Chambless dry off the front of a Jackson Police Department patrol car after giving it a wash as part of the Mount Auburn Christian Church Freedom Weekend on Saturday. The group washed the fleet of patrol cars and helped with landscaping around the police station.Glenn Landberg

“On a hot day, you get usually really dirty, but we don’t mind, because if you get too hot, you can just get sprayed with the hose!” she said.

Most of the child volunteers, including Nicole Evans, 15, attend Sunday school at Mount Auburn Christian Church, where they learned what to take from the volunteer event’s theme: Galatians 5:13. The Scripture from the New Living translation reads: “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”

“It means volunteering. We do it out of our love for others,” she said. “And we’ve [volunteered] a lot of times before, too.”

Chase Randolph details the rims of a Jackson Police Department patrol car after giving it a wash Saturday as part of the Mount Auburn Christian Church Freedom Weekend. The church’s group of volunteers washed the fleet of patrol cars and helped with landscaping around the police station.Glenn Landberg

Neighbors, who evidently had thought hard about the Scripture’s everyday implications, said serving others is the right thing to do, even if it’s not the easy thing.

“If you see someone poor on a really hot day or a stormy day ... if you see someone, you should go outside and help them, even if they’re really sweaty or soaking wet and your car is really nice, let them in. We can wash your car again, then!”

Evans’ sister Grace said the church is important in her life, and she’s happy to share it with others.

Chuck Randolph sprays down a Jackson Police Department patrol car as part of the Mount Auburn Christian Church Freedom Weekend.Glenn Landberg

“We’re like another family,” she said. “And no matter what happens, God is always with you.”

The crowd of blue-shirted volunteers jumped to their stations as another minivan rolled into the parking lot.

Maybe an accident, maybe not, the little boy with the garden hose squirted water into the air, splashing 6-year-old Sadie Elmore.

“I got drenched.” she said.

“It’s OK,” said 8-year-old Dillard Enghart. “That’s what car washes are for!”

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627