news article
Operation: Home Repair, a success
July 27, 2023 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Seventy-three-year-old Shirley Slater has spent over half her life in what was once a humble one-room schoolhouse, nestled in Schoharie County. Despite the house showing signs of wear, Shirley cherishes her home and diligently searches for grants to support its upkeep. After three persistent attempts, her optimism paid off when she recently secured a New York State grant for weatherization.
Last spring, during a fierce thunderstorm, one of Shirley's gutters was torn off her house. Realizing the need for new gutters, she wisely refrained from attempting the installation herself, remembering a past incident where she suffered a severe bruise from a ladder fall, leading to her doctor's orders of "No more ladders!"
Alongside her commitment to her home, Shirley also actively volunteers at the food pantry of Sharon Springs United Methodist Church, one of the 11 churches forming the Schoharie Mosaic United Methodist cooperative ministry (Mosaic). It was through her involvement here that she learned about Mosaic's Operation: Home Repair project. Without hesitation, Shirley decided to apply, and her application was one of the fortunate nine homeowners to be accepted for the project.
From July 24 to July 29, 2023, an incredible team of over 80 volunteers, including enthusiastic youth and a dedicated Girl Scouts troop, rallied together to repair these nine homes. The projects ranged from painting Shirley's porch and expertly installing new gutters to installing a brand-new roof on one of the homes.
At the remarkable age of eighty-three, Betty Gerhard was the recipient of the new roof. The news of Operation: Home Repair reached her through her thoughtful sister-in-law, who spotted an ad in the local newspaper and shared the information.
Betty's reaction to the unexpected roof repair was nothing short of astonishment. She vividly recalls the moment, saying, "I was so, so shocked when they decided to repair my roof! I said to myself, 'Sit down, Betty!'"
Among the various projects undertaken during the week, the roof project stood out as the most time-consuming and costly. A dedicated team of nine volunteers, including two
Mosaic pastors, Pastor Maryellen Moore from Warnerville, Gallupville, and Middleburgh UMCs, and Pastor Russ Underwood of Richmondville and Worcester UMCs, worked on the roof in extreme heat with temperatures nearing 90 degrees. Their commitment to helping others extended beyond boundaries, as Jackie Potter, from Avon UMC, traveled over three hours to volunteer for Operation: Home Repair.
Betty's gratitude for the work being done on her roof was immeasurable. She couldn't help but express her admiration, saying, "They work all day long and have been so wonderful. I am so thankful that I decided to call the ad. Every morning, around 7 a.m., it sounds like little elves running around my roof, and I know they are already hard at work. Every day, I look at their progress in awe. I never expected so many volunteers to be up there—there are nine of them! I can't even stretch my driveway long enough to accommodate all their vehicles."
Fortunately, a considerate neighbor generously allowed the volunteers to use his driveway as well.
Now, with a completed roof, Betty looks up with a glimmer in her eyes and shares her newfound sense of security, saying, "I can now go to sleep when it's windy and stormy, and I won't have to worry about dripping."
Thirty-two-year-old Chloe Vanderpoel and her husband Alex were among the blessed homeowners who benefited immensely from Operation: Home Repair. Chloe, a passionate music teacher for the Cobleskill School District, took on the ambitious challenge of purchasing a dilapidated 200-year-old 2,200 square-feet house, on the verge of being demolished. Viewing it as a labor of love, she and her husband saw the hidden potential in the home, nestled on three acres of enchanting forest, concealed from the outside world.
Chloe couldn't help but express her excitement about the property, calling it nothing short of magical. Since their purchase in 2017, Chloe and her husband have poured their hearts into tirelessly restoring the home. With the invaluable assistance of her mother-in-law, they undertook a complete renovation of the kitchen, tackled wall repairs, flooring fixes, and engaged in extensive painting endeavors. The house, lacking proper insulation, left them shivering
in the cold, with a pellet stove as their only source of heat.
The Rev. Anna Blinn Cole, who leads the Mosaic as well as Operation Home Repair, said, “She told me that glasses of water left on the counter actually freeze in the winter because it's so chilly in the house!”
Chloe learned about Operation: Home Repair through her friend, Cobleskill UMC’s office manager, Paige Bulmer. She decided to apply and see if she could get her basement insulated to help prevent cold air from rising into her home, especially during the wintertime.
“The basement project was the one giving my husband and me the most anxiety,” Chloe expressed.
During the application process, Corky Scranton, of Esperance-Sloansville UMC and Gus Mueller of Grosvenors-Corners UMC came to look over Chloe’s basement. It was in shambles with five old heating systems broken and laying around with debris all over the place.
Rev. Blinn Cole and her team decided to include Chole's house in their week of repairs if she was able to clean out the basement so that working conditions would be safe for the volunteers. Chole excitedly agreed.
Corky said, “Chole did an amazing job cleaning out the basement. Operation: Home Repair revved up her ambition and she went to work.”
Corky and Gus had to do a lot of prep work in Chole’s basement prior to the Project Home Repair designated week. They had to fill holes created by rodents. They even transformed a boarded-up doorway to the outdoors with a gorgeous new oak door.
Gus and Corky mentored two youth volunteers who helped them with the basement installation project at Chole’s house. A group of youth volunteers also painted Chole’s living room.
Chloe said, “The quality of life that we have here is going to increase astronomically!”
“The work that this team did is going to make it possible for Alex and me to have kids; we needed to have this home be safe and warm before we have kids. I am so thankful!”
Shirley, Betty, and Chole are just three of the people who are benefiting from the amazing project that Mosaic decided to launch this summer. They plan to do it ev
ery summer going forward.
Rev. Blinn Cole said, “We’ve never done this before…so we’re learning!”
She had very organized documents, illustrating the address and homeowner for each project, who the lead and volunteers were at each project, and the day(s) that the projects would be worked on. She would have to make quick adjustments based on the weather. She also had volunteers making and delivering lunches. She had a congregant with graphic design expertise design a logo and shirts for the project as well.
In addition to receiving a $2,000 Everyday Disaster grant from United Methodists of Upper New York’s Mission Central HUB, Mosaic held many fundraising projects:
- They raised $2,500 by sponsoring an old-fashioned train for a ride down the Charlotte Valley Railroad. A series of local Christian bands played on the open-air gondola car and kept the participants entertained
- They raised $2,000 by holding a drive-through dinner.
- And the thrift store at Cobleskill UMC raised several thousand dollars.
Operation: Home Repair illustrates how the community can benefit from people coming together being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Next year, Rev. Blinn Cole is considering doing the project again. After assessing how this year's project went, the team will make a decision. If they decide to do it next year, they hope that volunteers across Upper New York come together to help repair homes in Schoharie County. For instance, Jackie Potter shows how traveling a distance is possible. Kids are out of school so it could be a project for youth to consider as well.
Operation: Home Repair is the perfect example of the power of collaborative ministry that Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Héctor A. Burgos Núñez has established as one of his goals for the Conference during his tenure.