Single moms “Super Mom” event to be held by River City Church
VANCOUVER — When most people think of Mother’s Day, they might remember the cards and the favors or gifts they gave their mothers. They might think of the exciting outings to show mom how much she was appreciated, and loved.
That isn’t the case for everyone.
Single moms are often times some of the hardest working people in society, supporting their families by working multiple jobs and still parenting in the process. Well over 10 million single moms raise families in the U.S. today, according to the federal Census Bureau.
In Vancouver off Fourth Plain Boulevard, there is a new kid on the block, and their goal is to give thanks to those single moms in the area in the most tangible way they can.
River City Church, which opened its doors on Easter of this year, will be serving 10 selected single moms from Clark County to pamper and honor at their “Super Mom” event on Mother’s Day 2019.
“We want to be known by our love,” said Pastor Ryan Sidhom, of River City Church in Vancouver. “Once every single month, our entire service is something for the community. When I was looking at the calendar, it was Mother’s Day, and that’s a no brainer, we need to do something for moms.”
The event is currently sponsored by 18 businesses from the area, including Mighty Bowl, Black Rock Coffee, Still Point Massage Studio, and title sponsor Autumn’s Auto Lube.
Autumn Hancock, owner of Autumn’s Auto Lube, is herself a single mom. She said she jumped at the opportunity to partner with River City Church to give back to others like herself.
“[It is] positively overwhelming when you don’t expect anything, and you don’t know something’s coming, and someone does something amazing to brighten your day,” Hancock said. “It feels good, and makes you want to go do something just as good.”
Hancock explained she understands how difficult and lonely it can be on Mother’s Day as a single mom, especially with young children.
“You have to work twice as hard. I wake up at five in the morning, and I start my routine and get my boys up, everything is on schedule,” Hancock said. “Then I go to work, work, work, work, then I come home, then you’ve got homework and dinner … yard work … there’s not a handbook for parenting.”
The single moms will enjoy free massages, facials and childcare, as well as receiving a catered lunch, flowers from a flower truck, and most of all complete and free oil changes for their cars.
“The idea would be to just really blow their minds,” said Clarissa Sidhom, who pastors with her husband Ryan at River City. “Have it be so much beyond what they were expecting.”
The church leaders said they were given many nominations for single moms to be included in the program, and from those nominations chose the 10 to love on.
“I don’t know what I’d do without her [Clarissa],” Ryan said. “I thought, ‘what would it be like if I had to do all of that?’ But then take into account, just because the way our culture is, I got paid less for doing the same job.”
“Then to look at Jesus, who came for the hurting, this is a demographic in our community that’s hurting,” he said.
Clarissa and Ryan echoed each other’s sentiments of restoring the often not-so-great memories and feelings many children and adults can associate with Mother’s Day.
“I feel like there’s a lot of hurt there for a lot of people,” Clarissa said. “Whether you’ve lost a child, or struggle with infertility, or maybe you have a strained relationship with your own mother … it redeems it.”
“To take a day that has been painful before, and channel that energy back into serving, serving mothers, and really putting the focus off of any hurt of that day, that really resonates with a lot of people,” she said.
For more information on the event, or to get involved with serving, contact ryan@rivercityvancouver.com or visit the church’s website.
wpDiscuz
