Local church says “I love Ringgold” through service weekend
Close to 150 people from Ringgold United Methodist Church joined together Saturday, June 4, for a unique local service opportunity in Ringgold through an event named “I <3 Ringgold.” Volunteers in ages ranging from three to 60 worked on various projects in the community such as bathroom cleaning, weed pulling, trash pickup, window washing and water bottle handout.
As they served and worked in the community, each passed out a note that told of the purpose for their selfless service. At one point in the morning, close to 30 persons could be seen from Sonic on Highway 41 to the Ringgold Depot serving in some capacity along the street wearing their “I <3 Ringgold” t-shirts.
“The hope from this weekend was to say, ‘I Love Ringgold’ to our community and beyond,” said Pastor Ben Cathey. “We love Ringgold because God loves Ringgold.”
The weekend also featured a larger youth-specific project aimed at accomplishing much needed construction renovation projects at Christ Chapel Share and Care Mission. Christ Chapel, which provides affordable clothing, food, and home goods from donations it receives from community members, was in need of a new roof, additional storage space and general upkeep of the facility.
Along with replacing the dated roof and adding additional storage space, volunteers cleared and organized the sorting room, replaced a rotten floor, painted the entire exterior of the buildings, leveled the front parking lot, built a wooden fence and added a recycling area.
“The youth worked so hard and learned so much from their service at Christ Chapel,” said Bobby Fleck, youth pastor of Ringgold United Methodist Church. “Each teenager who served this weekend left with an appreciation of hard work and a desire to help others in our community.”