news article

Churches take on Operation: Home Repair for second year in a row

September 30, 2024 / By Cobleskill UMC / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Schoharie Mosaic, a Cooperative Parish of ten United Methodist churches in and around Schoharie County in the Oneonta District, recently completed its second annual Operation: Home Repair. This local mission project took place over two weeks in July, however planning and preparation for the mission projects began back in January 2024. Operation: Home Repair provides no-cost critical home repairs to homeowners in and around Schoharie County by bringing neighbors together to volunteer their time and energy.

One of the organizing churches is Cobleskill United Methodist Church, the Rev. Anna Blinn Cole reports that 28 applications were submitted by local homeowners requesting help with various home improvements and repairs. After reviewing each application thoroughly, the planning team narrowed the list to 12 doable projects based upon factors such as critical safety issues, disabilities of homeowners, health needs, volunteer and financial resources available, and other quality of life issues. 

According to Rev. Blinn Cole the projects included homes in seven towns in Schoharie County and one town in Schenectady County. This year, over 50 volunteers donated their time and skills to complete these projects, ranging from deck rebuilding, ramp installation, painting, and roof repair to concrete stair repair and porch reconstruction. The volunteers ranged from senior citizens to teenagers and included both skilled craftspeople and those with no prior home repair experience. Several United Methodist church members and clergy from outside the Schoharie region also volunteered their time and energy. 

Volunteer Jeff Foote, who headed up a work team this year, had this to say “It was grueling work, and I definitely learned a few things, but what I did not expect and am very happy to report is that I was deeply moved by the experience of serving a person in need. Even though I was exhausted at the end of each day, I went home uplifted and fulfilled in the knowledge that I was doing God's work.”

Of particular note this year was the renovation of the Gallupville UMC parsonage which had been sitting unoccupied for many years. Gallupville’s pastor, the Rev. Maryellen Moore, is passionate about addressing housing insecurity in the region and saw an opportunity for this vacant house to become a home for a low-income family. Church leadership decided to apply for assistance through Operation: Home Repair to get the parsonage up to code so that HUD would approve it for Section 8 housing. The church would not only get to help fill the gap for a family in need, but also earn much-needed revenue to supplement the church’s dwindling finances.

“It was a bit of a stretch to seriously consider transforming the parsonage. There were obstacles: tax implications, insurance, zoning, water quality, insulation and just how this little congregation could do all this! We prayed,” stated Rev. Moore.

The Operation: Home Repair planning team approved the Gallupville parsonage as one of its 12 projects and work began several weeks in advance of the official home repair start. Incredibly, the three teenage girls and their mom who were praying to be able to move into this home after a period of being unhoused, worked tirelessly over many weeks alongside other Operation: Home Repair volunteers to turn the parsonage around.

Chrisal Soutulo, the single mother of that family, said, “I want to say thank you to all the people who were involved in Operation: Home Repair. I will never forget how much they helped us and let us help to be a part of the mission work too.” 

Soutulo’ daughter, Stacy Baez, said, “It was hard work, but I learned so many things that I never knew how to do before. Thank you for letting us be a part of this project.” 

Thanks to many hands from Operation: Home Repair, lots of hard work, and persistent advocacy from Rev. Moore, Soutulo, and her four children moved into the parsonage on September 1.

Operation: Home Repair could not do the work it does without the generosity of the community. The missional project received financial and in-kind donations from community members, local businesses, several United Methodist grant funds, the Schoharie County Joshua Project, and other churches in the neighborhood. Other funds were raised throughout the year with drive-thru dinners, proceeds from the Road to Jubilee Thrift Store at Cobleskill UMC, and other fundraisers.

Rev. Blinn Cole reports that the need for safe housing is critical in this area. She is encouraged by the way neighbors stepped up to help neighbors in this community-wide project. Many homeowners reported that these projects helped improve their living conditions. 

Gail Romberg received a new deck on her mobile home so that she could safely exit her house. She said “These (Mosaic) volunteers were truly exceptional—generous, caring, and uplifting. Their expert craftsmanship transformed my home, and their presence each day made me feel as though I was in the company of Jesus Christ’s most devoted disciples. Your mission statement, ‘to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,’ truly came to life through their actions.” 

When speaking of the project as a whole, Kay Bonney, of the Delanson UMC who organized the Operation: Home Repair hospitality and lunch making said “There’s a recognition that the Church is more than just a place to worship but a place that people can go to get help and give help. It provides a sense of family.”

Based on the success of Operation: Home Repair over the past two summers, the program will begin accepting applications for 2025 home repair in early January. Volunteers from across the conference are welcome to join the work. 

For more information, please reach out to SchoharieMosaic@gmail.com. 

Click here to read about last year’s annual Operation: Home Repair.