The passion of Mitch's heart was grounded in and sustained from his relationship with Jesus Christ. He was quoted as saying, "It's not about all the answers in the decades of my life but it's about that in my life Jesus Christ was the answer". As a follower of Jesus Christ, Mitch's heart was one of service to the community around him: at his school, with his students and staff, at ministries like the Emmaus Walks, and anything to do with his home church that he helped to build from the ground up at Community Bible Church. Mitch was a founding member and an integral part of the development of the ministries at CBC, including our Senior Pastor. Mitch served as an Elder offering oversight of the church as a whole, directed the food pantry ministry and taught himself the bass guitar to be able to help to lead in worship every Sunday, typically with his CBC tie-dye shirt on!
Starting in 2026, the Diakonos Award will be given as a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior from Rootstown Community Bible Church as an extension of and gifted by The Dr. R. Mitch Lambert Foundation. Successful applicants will be those who are members of Community Bible Church, active in their faith development, a part of service in and out of the Church, and pursuing a degree program to continue their pursuits in a field of their choice.
Valeri Derteen and Mollie Matthews