James River Church Volunteers Paint 85,000 Sq. Ft. and Upgrade Local Public Schools in Ongoing Nearly 30-Year Partnership

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. and JOPLIN, Mo., July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Saturday, June 21, James River Church invited the local community to join in serving and blessing local schools Joplin High School and Cherokee Middle School through its annual public school-focused Saturday Serve event. Hundreds of volunteers gathered to paint nearly 85,000 square feet of wall space, execute various landscaping and construction projects, and provide deep-cleaning efforts across both campuses.

Saturday Serve is a monthly outpouring of love and resources at James River Church. Its goal is to bless local communities through various volunteering efforts. By organizing a Saturday Serve each month, the church ensures that its volunteer efforts are regular contributions that can create lasting, impactful change throughout the state of Missouri.

Each month, the theme of Saturday Serve shifts. For instance, some Saturday Serves see those at James River Church mobilizing to coordinate food drop-offs for those in need, whereas other weekends might see hundreds of church members assisting community members through severe winter weather. The goal is always to give back to the community what God has gifted the church.

For nearly 30 years, James River Church has dedicated one Saturday each summer to improving and refreshing public schools in the local community. From painting classrooms to landscaping school grounds and even upgrading teachers’ lounges, volunteers of all ages come together to help create welcoming, bright spaces for students and educators alike.

By partnering with local public schools each year and providing an abundance of volunteers and supplies, James River Church alleviates some of the budget concerns that educators are constantly dealing with. It’s a consistent and reliable means of ensuring children have the resources they need to thrive in an educational environment.

This year, those collective efforts were extended to both Joplin High School and Cherokee Middle School in Springfield, MO, which received upgrades in the form of painted hallways, small construction projects, deep cleaning, and planted mulch outdoors. James River Church also planted a new rosebud garden at Joplin High School next to the garden they planted last year.

“I’m absolutely blown away,” Karsten Kargel, Director of Facilities of Springfield Public Schools, shared. “It takes a lot of effort to paint an entire school. James River Church comes in and paints an entire school in about a day.”

The effort marked JRC’s seventh consecutive year serving at Joplin High School alone—building on the success of previous projects such as garden installations and teacher lounge makeovers.

“We love our community partners. We love our Joplin schools. And so it’s a real opportunity for us to come and demonstrate the love of Christ and to show our care for our community because we believe this: that the best is yet to come for Joplin, Missouri. And we just want to be a part of making things even stronger and better here in our area,” said Justin Jahanshir, James River Church Joplin Pastor.

About James River Church

James River Church, serving over 16,000 attendees weekly, is a Pentecostal church with four locations in southwest Missouri and a growing online community. Known for its passionate worship and engaging children’s and youth programs, JRC is dedicated to reaching people with the Gospel, global missions, and community outreach through initiatives like Cherish Kids and James River Charities.

Contact Information
Contact: Becky Davis
Phone: 417-581-5433
Email: [email protected]
Organization: James River Church

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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