CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — With social distancing guidelines still being enforced, many are having to get creative when it comes to celebrating Mother’s Day. Fellowship Bible Church in Chagrin Falls hosted a Mother’s Day drive-in service allowing families to gather together safely.
Church leaders have looked at this pandemic as an opportunity to offer hope and are doing things they think will make the community a better place even after this crisis is over.
The service brought smiles to the faces of moms in the crowd, like Kim Garred, a member of the church from Reminderville. She’s grateful for the opportunity to see three of her four children on her special day.
“To be able to see them even from a distance is just fantastic,” Garred said.
Garred and dozens of others who came to the service were able to sit in their cars and listen to lead pastor Aaron Tredway over the radio.
“There’s something amazing when people can get together and I think in our normal lives we take that for granted, but in these times, you really see how great of a blessing it is,” Tredway said.
After a great turnout for their Easter drive-in service, Tredway says the church decided to do it again for Mother’s Day, but when it comes to community outreach these services are just the beginning.
“When coronavirus kinda hit, we called our people, our staff and our key volunteers together and said we need to be for the community. Not just serving the people who go to our church, but really here for the broader community,” Tredway said.
The church has teamed up with community partners to donate hundreds of gift cards to first responders, formed a mask sewing team, and provided more than 150 meals for people in need.
“I wish we could do more,” Tredway said.
The church’s dedication to serving the community is why Garred chose to spend her Mother’s Day not just with her kids, but also her church family.
“This church is a church of community and they reach out so well to everyone around them,” Garred said. “That’s why we’re here. One visit and it was, wow this place is something different.”
Church leaders say they will continue to hold drive-in services depending on how social distancing measures evolve.
Jade Jarvis is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
