Building on the Rock SUMMER OF SERVICE
PRAY • SERVE • GIVE
at Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark and chaplain of Good Neighbors, led the evening programs. “Here to Serve” was the theme for our 14th Summer Youth Camp as 6 local youth groups served 5 low-income families by completing major repairs to their homes. It was a win-win-win week as: ● We blessed families from Kennett, Avondale and Oxford with major home repairs ● 51 teenagers experienced the joy of fulfilling Christ’s call to serve others ● GN safely completed our busiest week of 2013 “Repairing Homes & Restoring Hope” Camp week was once again the hottest (and busiest) week of the year. Thankfully, 4 of our work teams benefited from treeshaded lots. The 5th quickly learned to work on the shady side of the home as the sun moved! So, you ask, what does 'busiest’ mean? Answer: working together, 51 youth, 14 youth leaders and 79 adults accrued over 4,000 volunteer hours! Projects included: ● Repair/paint gables, soffits and siding of four homes ● Rebuild roof over large porch ● Renovate bathroom including extra grab-bars for amputee ● Install new windows ● Rehab a water-damaged basement ● Clean and paint a home’s stained interior walls & ceilings ● Convert old office into living quarters for caregiver Avondale Presbyterian Church was once again our gracious host as the youth and their leaders ate together, shared devotions, played games, prayed, studied God’s word and slept overnight at the church. Joshua Knott, Associate Pastor
By Rob Ellis, Executive Director
For many writers, myself included, brevity is elusive. Even Mark Twain once quipped to a friend: “Sorry this letter is so long, but I didn't have time to write a short one.” Like Twain, your time is precious. So, I shall be brief.
Our special thanks go to all who helped make this possible, especially: ● United Way of Southern Chester County ● United Way of Chester County ● Exelon Corporation ● Chester County Dept. of Community Development ● Oxford Area Civic Association ● Oxford Area Foundation ● Springbank Foundation ● Patricia Kind Family Foundation ● BNY Mellon ● Connelly Foundation ● Land O’Lakes ● W W Smith Charitable Trust ● Generous donors like you
PRAY… SERVE… GIVE… These three imperatives neatly summarize how friends like you support Good Neighbors. Some folks employ just one of these verbs, others use all three as they partner with us. So, gentle reader, if you don’t yet support GN, I hope you will read on, consider the options, pick a verb (or two) and join us! PRAY… Please pray for God to continue guiding our ministry. Ask him to bless our leaders and staff, our homeowners and volunteers, our donors and vendors. Pray that God would grant us wisdom, endurance, patience and love. Praying faithfully for GN is a big job – and an amazing privilege, for God loves to bless his children when they pray. SERVE… Volunteers are the heartbeat of our ministry. Some are experts; some are beginners. Some are handy with power tools; others need coaching. Whether you’re a leader or a follower, we can use your talents. As you serve with us, expect God to bless you too. He has a habit of doing just that. It’s part of his grand design… part of his economy... and part of the reason we have so many faithful volunteers. Call or sign up online; we’ll gladly make room for one more!
THIS NEWSLETTER IS GRACIOUSLY UNDERWRITTEN BY
GIVE… If God has blessed you financially, please consider supporting GN financially. We pledge to invest your donations wisely. In fact, thanks to our experienced project managers, our generous vendors and our faithful volunteers, we actually multiply the impact of your gifts. When we spend $100 on materials, we typically deliver repairs valued at $300 - $500. 205 E. State Street Kennett Square, PA 19348 Office: 610-444-1860 Fax: 610-444-1961 Info@goodneighborshomerepair.org www.goodneighborshomerepair.org
PRAY… SERVE… GIVE… We need your support! Please pick a verb (or three!) and be part of how God is blessing our struggling neighbors in southern Chester County. Many thanks!
Board of Directors
CONTRACTOR’S CORNER
Fred Bruns
Robbie Deike
Robert Johnson
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS Robert Whitlock
The whole law is fulfilled in keeping this one command “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.” Galatians 5:14
RJ Scaggs Marc Bevis Leaha Lopez Christopher Wolfe Rob Ellis
Bill Stecher
Joshua Knott
GN Staff Rob Ellis
Bill Stecher
Tom MacAulay
Phil Smith
Neill Lynch
Barbe Stecher
Bob Johnson
Bob Whitlock
Wow, it’s been busy around the neighborhood! Here are just a few glimpses of how your donations are helping GN share God’s love with our neighbors. Last quarter, thanks to our dedicated managers and a growing number of volunteer teams, we helped make 26 homes warmer, safer, drier and healthier (7 more than the previous quarter!). In the next three months at least 5 families will receive new windows (66 total), while 4 families will get a new roof. We recently installed a replacement heater at half the cost of the contractor’s estimate, thanks Project Manager Neill Lynch, and a new volunteer. We just learned of a wheelchair-bound homeowner, living not far from our Kennett Square office, who’s been without hot water for 2 years; (we’re on it!) Finally, we were touched by the gratitude of a local leg-amputee who needed some secure handholds in his shower to increase his independence. It’s very clear to us; God’s love restores hope. Thanks for your part in making that happen.
FALL FUNDRAISER This past September, 148 GN supporters enjoyed a glorious fall evening at Hartefeld National as they bid on Silent Auction items, learned some fun facts as part of our information scavenger hunt, enjoyed a delightful buffet, received an encouraging ministry review, and listened intently as a panel of homeowners, volunteers and donors shared their personal experiences with GN. Then, in response to Robbie Deike’s exhortation to generous giving, you helped us add $33,700 to our ministry coffers – a new record! Heartfelt (Hartefeld!!) thanks to all who supported this annual event.
Service Snapshot
ACTIVITY Inquiries Projects Approved Completed In Process In Queue
YTD 158 132 38 29 34
Don Aldrich
People served
212+
Pastor’s Perspective Christians are, by Paul's definition, the wealthiest people in the world. Their riches are spiritual in nature, laid up in heaven, and their greatest treasure is Jesus himself; crucified for their sin and risen as King for their salvation. As such they see the world differently. Earthly riches no longer bear the weight of their souls' longings, hopes, and dreams. They are simply resources to be used. They are means to this end: that Jesus might be glorified in the service of others. People often ask why we at Good Neighbors do what we do. The answer? We're rich in Christ. How can we not give what we have in honor of the one who gave all that He had for us and for our salvation? Joshua Knott is Associate Pastor of EP Church of Newark, DE and serves Good Neighbors as Board Chaplain.
Founder’s Fund When GN Founder, Jay Malthaner retired last year, our Board of Directors established a special “Founder’s Fund” to honor his legacy and support the long-term health and growth of this vital ministry. Now you too have an opportunity to contribute to this fund. If you donate by December 31, 2013 and your check is among the first $6,000 given to this fund, a local anonymous donor will match your gift - thus doubling the impact of your year-end donation! Simply write “Founder’s Fund” in the memo line of your check and watch this space for updates. With your help, we can add $12,000 to our Founder’s Fund by year-end.
112 Railroad Avenue Oxford, PA 19363 (610) 932-8521 https://store.oxfordfeedlumber.com
Good Neighbors is blessed with many faithful contractors who support us with discounts and donations of time and material. Among them is Oxford Feed & Lumber. Thanks guys! Your generosity makes it possible for us to bless others.
Volunteer Voices We love hearing volunteers share their stories about why they serve with GN. Here are a few snippets from recent conversations: God has been so good to me, I feel blessed to be able to give back. The Lord has blessed me with wonderful skills. It’s a joy to be able to share them in such a worthy cause. It’s such a blessing to see how much our team can accomplish and how happy the homeowner is when we’ve finished.
A Member Agency of the United Way of Southern Chester County
We’re called to love our neighbor as ourselves; this is one way I can help.