iServe brings churches together for community projects

By Mary Owen

Parks got pruned, schools were painted and city offices got a little TLC recently when Christians in four cities took the biblical edict to “love one another” straight to their communities.

“iServe came about from the conviction that Christians should aspire to a servant heart,” said Tim Schabel, who initiated the neighbor-helping-neighbor outreach last year and saw it come to fruition with the help of Community Pastor Tod Schlomann and layman Tim Hophan, both of Foothills Church in Stayton.

“We’re trying to be good servants in our community, to say we’re the church and we’re here for you,” Schabel said.

On June 28, more than 350 people participated in projects that ranged from painting the exterior of Stayton’s police station to putting down molding at Stayton Middle School to pulling weeds at Pioneer, Santiam, West Run and Quail Run parks.

“Education is the key to any community, so we felt we should help improve the educational environment,” said Schabel, the vision and teaching pastor at Foothills Church. “Likewise, we saw civic structures like the police stations and parks as needing that same support.”

Schabel started iServe last year after praying about how to better serve the community’s needs. Some 200 people turned out to spruce up neighborhood facilities, after Schlomann pitched the idea to city entities and the North Santiam School District.

“We just said we want to come and help,” Schlomann said. “They gave us the go-ahead.”

The resulting work was well received, and lists doubled for this year’s projects, he said.

“And we’re starting to get more of the churches involved,” Schlomann said. “We want to make sure we do this right and grow it gradually. We’re here to love our towns. God is really clear. He said, ‘If you want to help me, help your neighbors.’”

Eight churches were involved in this year’s day-long outreach: Mt. View Wesleyan Church in Aumsville; Canyon Baptist and Santiam Chapel in Lyons; Stayton Christian Church, Calvary Lutheran, United Methodist and New Hope Foursquare, all in Stayton; and Mehama Community Church in Mehama.

John Peterson of New Hope Foursquare called serving a “great experience.” He and about 20 or his fellow churchgoers painted walls inside the gymnasium at Stayton High School and restriped the parking lot. Peterson, who was assisted by Mark Armstrong from Foothills, expects the number of workers to double next year.

“We got involved to let the community know the churches aren’t separate from the community,” he said. “We had youth group members, adults – a good mix of teens all the way up. They just wanted to let the community know we care about them, no strings attached.”

About 30 churchgoers showed up early at Stayton Middle School to paint all the bathrooms and put up the floor molding all around the main hall. Organizer Scott Buchheit of Calvary Lutheran, assisted by fellow church member Roy Fender, said the experience “helps us live out our faith, mature as Christians and grow more like Jesus.”

North Santiam School District Superintendent Jack Adams was amazed and thrilled by the outreach.

“When you have a 100 and 200 people over a period of two years, painting everything that needed painting in the district … just imagine the man hours we have to pay for that,” Adams said. “What a wonderful service to the school district.”

When NSSD officials honored their iServe volunteers with a plaque to say “thank you,” they were told it wasn’t necessary.

“They didn’t want any recognition,” Adams said, somewhat taken aback by their humility.

That’s the reaction Schabel and other organizers were seeking – appreciation of the deed done without any undue fuss.

“We believe the world can be a better place,” Schabel said. “We’re here to love our towns.”

In all, six schools, five parks, the police station and community center were on iServe’s receiving end.

Adams was impressed by what was accomplishments through the project, saying, “What a neat idea. I take my hat off to them!”