Texas church group helps rebuilding effort
NORWICH – Thanks to volunteerism and a touch of southern hospitality, congregation members of Agape Baptist Church in Norwich are taking on some of the much-needed alterations inside and outside of their church.
Last week, a group of 17 volunteers by name of “The Men of Issachar” made their way from Jersey Village Baptist Church in Austin, Texas to rural Chenango County to lend a helping hand in Agape’s latest building projects. Before heading back home Friday, volunteers hope to complete a series of interior and exterior renovations that includes repairing or replacing damaged plaster ceilings throughout the church building, minor electrical work, and the construction of a handicapped accessible ramp outside the building’s front entrance.
In March, the group visited several sites prior to choosing Agape for their next service project. According to volunteer George Moore, volunteering has not only been a way for church organizations to help each other out, but also a way of seeing new faces and expand on a network of support.
“It’s always a treat to go someplace else and meet new people,” said Moore. “Throughout some of these churches, we’ve made a lot of friends for life.”
Other members of the Jersey Village Baptist congregation made their way a little further north to help a church in Cazenovia
coordinate its annual Vacation Bible School youth program. This marks the fourth year The Men of Issachar have offered a set of helping hands at partnering churches nationwide. Past efforts have benefitted churches in Texas, Rhode Island, and South Dakota – all of which were paired with Jersey Village Baptist Church through the Association of Southern Baptist Churches.
“It’s great that they could come up and help us,” said Agape Baptist Pastor Harold Lefler. Lefler, presently serving as an interim pastor at Agape, has headed several different churches for more than 40 years. While local rural churches struggle with low attendance, big volunteer groups from larger metropolitan areas are always more than welcome, he said.
Said Lefler, “More is accomplished in one week with a group of people from down south than what most churches are able to get done in a year.”
Last week, a group of 17 volunteers by name of “The Men of Issachar” made their way from Jersey Village Baptist Church in Austin, Texas to rural Chenango County to lend a helping hand in Agape’s latest building projects. Before heading back home Friday, volunteers hope to complete a series of interior and exterior renovations that includes repairing or replacing damaged plaster ceilings throughout the church building, minor electrical work, and the construction of a handicapped accessible ramp outside the building’s front entrance.
In March, the group visited several sites prior to choosing Agape for their next service project. According to volunteer George Moore, volunteering has not only been a way for church organizations to help each other out, but also a way of seeing new faces and expand on a network of support.
“It’s always a treat to go someplace else and meet new people,” said Moore. “Throughout some of these churches, we’ve made a lot of friends for life.”
Other members of the Jersey Village Baptist congregation made their way a little further north to help a church in Cazenovia
coordinate its annual Vacation Bible School youth program. This marks the fourth year The Men of Issachar have offered a set of helping hands at partnering churches nationwide. Past efforts have benefitted churches in Texas, Rhode Island, and South Dakota – all of which were paired with Jersey Village Baptist Church through the Association of Southern Baptist Churches.
“It’s great that they could come up and help us,” said Agape Baptist Pastor Harold Lefler. Lefler, presently serving as an interim pastor at Agape, has headed several different churches for more than 40 years. While local rural churches struggle with low attendance, big volunteer groups from larger metropolitan areas are always more than welcome, he said.
Said Lefler, “More is accomplished in one week with a group of people from down south than what most churches are able to get done in a year.”
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