spring greetings from all of us in the Good Works community!
SO MANY GOOD things are happening here. I’ve been telling people who ask me that we are “firing on all circuits”. Last month I shared a few things about our history and The Timothy House. This month I want to give you a ‘snapshot’ of several fruitful and meaningful initiatives going on right now.
When someone receives a vehicle from the Transformation Station, they have often been on the waiting list for as long as a year. Our vision is to clothe each person with dignity and invite them to use their abilities to help others. We welcome them into our community and invite them to leave their old identity of “needy” and enter a new identity as a volunteer. We serve together on our properties and at the homes of seniors in Athens County doing labor-intensive service. And then we watch as the transformation begins. When people have completed their “points”, they receive their vehicles, come to a special lunch event and then we gather around them to offer words of gratitude, affirmation and encouragement. Then, we watch them drive away.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Neighbors Helping Neighbors is an initiative of Good Works we began 25+ years ago to GO to the homes of seniors (mostly widows) in our community to provide help with projects at their homes which they are unable to afford or have the capacity to do on their own. Each person we serve first completes an application and then we send one of the staff to meet and visit with them and assess the projects. While we can’t do emergency projects, we do try our best to serve everyone who applies during the year. Every time we go, one of us just visits. We value “being with” as an important expression of our ministry.
We had served Bill’s mother Lois various times with Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and gradually we got to know Bill too. Bill had overcome addiction and worked for a car through the TS while caring for his mother. Bill had become a friend to our community and after earning a car for himself, came back to volunteer his time to help earn bicycles for kids he knew. When Bill’s mother was put on hospice care, we were able to go out and do a project for her one last time, and continue to build our relationship with both of them. When Lois passed, Bill came by Good Works when I was on the porch. With tears in his eyes, he began to tell me his mom had passed away and he didn’t know what to do. I immediately hugged him and gave him a shoulder to cry on. As another staff joined me on the porch, we let Bill share about how much he loved his mother and how he wanted to honor her well. We did our best to reassure him and listen to his struggles. BEING WITH is a huge part of our ministry. We desire to be with people who are hurting, feeling helpless and grieving – especially when they come to the property.
- Jeremy Hudelson (Jeremy serves on the God Works staff primarily with the Transformation Station and Neighbors Helping Neighbors)
On an average Saturday, we are sending out 4-5 teams all over Athens County to the homes of seniors or adults with a disability to visit and do projects and gardens.
GOOD WORKS GARDENS
GOOD WORKS GARDENSis an initiative we started many years ago to establish and nurture vegetable gardens at the homes of seniors we serve through Neighbors Helping Neighbors. This year, we will have 8 gardens all over Athens County in addition to the large garden we have on the Good Works property. Many times, those we visit and serve know more about gardening that we do. And when zucchini season arrives, people have a platform for generosity! This summer, we are also planning our Teen Agricultural Internship for 7 weeks for local teens who want to learn about growing food and friendships with older adults.
WORK RETREATS
WORK RETREATS is the language we use to describe groups who come to serve with Good Works for weekends in the fall and spring, and week-long experiences in the summer. Historically, groups have come from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan and other states. Our hope is that each group gets to the end of their time with us and has two “aha” moments: (1) “we could do this where we live”. We want groups to have experiences of serving that are easily reproducible where they live, and (2) we desire that the relationships formed through the Work Retreat experience strengthens and deepens each youth and adult who participates. Oftentimes, groups are already doing things in their community and their visit with us serves as a confirmation, affirmation and encouragement of what they are already doing.
Each Work Retreat begins with a morning welcome and devotional
and ends with a final ‘debrief’ where we share stories from the day.
In the news
Good Works provided a family with vehicle #208 on April! 17th! Yea!!! That is 208 families who have donated vehicles to Good Works’ Transformation Station. WE GIVE THANKS!
While all of our Saturdays this spring have been filled with groups of volunteers, we still have several weeks open this summer. Know of a group who could join us? Contact us for open dates!
The GW Timothy House has been at capacity for the past 2 months. In addition, we are serving adults with companion pets at Sign of HOPE every day. Loads of HOPE is open every week to provide a place for people in our community with a free laundromat to come and do their laundry.
Friday Night Life started year #33. FNL is life-giving both to me and to those who are a part of this community. WE give thanks for every sponsoring group. Know of a group of 5-10 people who can sponsor the dinner for 60-70 adults and children once this year? We need sponsors!
Good Works Country Bed and Breakfast has been a source of revenue to provide funds to cover most of our utilities on the Good Works property! We enjoy providing this form of hospitality too!
Appalachian Immersion is the name of our ‘year-round’ (paid) residential internship. We welcome people to apply for the next season which begins in September 2025.
This spring we are launching a new initiative we call “Dinner at Timothy’s”. We are seeking 1-2 volunteers to prepare a one-time dinner for the residents of The Timothy House (about 15 adults and children) and bring it there at 7:00 pm on one Saturday or Sunday this year. You? Email us to learn more and schedule a date!
Each spring and fall, we host a day for our scheduled volunteers to come together to talk through important matters related to serving with Good Works and to offer affirmation and encouragement.
Since the early 2000s, we have sought to intentionally develop and sustain practices which provide stability to our community. These are (1) Gratitude (2) Hospitality (3) Promise Keeping and (4) Truth-Telling. We learned these from Dr. Christine Pohl in her book LIVING INTO COMMUNITY. May I encourage you to consider these practices for the community you are committed to. I am happy to share with your community how we work these out day to day at Good Works.
IN CLOSING…
I want to remind you of our vulnerability both as a ministry and as individuals who serve with Good Works. “The times they are a-changing”, and we all feel very vulnerable these days. THANK YOU for praying for us, for supporting us, and for sending us letters of encouragement! Our visionto ‘make the widows heart sing, take up the cause of the stranger and be a father to the fatherless’ remains steadfast!
PS - If you would like to participate in the mission and ministry of Good Works through giving, you can send a gift to:
