Lyvaella,
---I do not represent RenDog or any other youtuber---
I like you really enjoy RenDog's server. I have found the community here very nice and welcoming. The server provides me with lots of joy and fun. i think any free server policed by the good folk on Hermitcraft would be the same.
That being said, free is never free. I work in the IT industry and know that there are real costs associated with maintaining any server or service made available to the public. Those costs include buying the server, monthly internet connection, maintenance and service on the hardware and so on. So I think we all have to be aware that there is hard work and real cost to Rendog or any other youtuber to offer a "free" server.
I say THANK YOU very much. Thanks too to all the volunteers who are monitoring as well.
Ren may be fortunate to have some of these things donated to him. This would keep his cost lower but we are not guaranteed that this server will always be free. If Ren cannot pay for it, the server will go away. He could grow old and grey and decide we are too much of a hassle. Lightning could strike his hosting facility and erase our Dogcraft world from existence. Crap happens.
Each of us who are not patreons are indebted to those who pay. We could not play unless someone pays.
THANK YOU to all the patreons. You are awesome.
I am just throwing out my perspective on this. I can tell from your post that you have very heart felt feelings. It is a loss to build something that gets taken away. Just remember this too could go away and Ren or any other youtuber should not be blamed to harshly for it. They have to pay their bills.
I will continue to enjoy the server and I hope you do too. I do tho, keep in the back of my mind, this could be gone one day. I also think about becoming a Patreon. Something that just says Thanks in a real way for all Ren's work and his team.
I cannot say it enough, Thank you all! Everyone who works to see that this server is up, safe, and fun. Thank you.