greetings from all of us in the Good Works community of HOPE!
Warm greetings to you and your family! This is our final newsletter for 2025. We are grateful. Marcus Tillius Cicero wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all virtues”. The word is derived from the Latin word grace. It means grace, graciousness, and gratefulness. Gratitude is connected to the goodness of receiving generosity. And so… we are mindful of the grace we receive from you, your generosity!
JOY TO THE WORLD
In response to the question, ”where are you finding JOY”, here is what different people in our community shared:
I see Dale sitting at the table by himself and I bring out Jenga and he comes alive. A simple activity to engage in.
Our neighbors give me JOY. Driving past the homes of our neighbors in Athens County, thinking about them, the LORD was talking to me about ‘restoring the devastated places’. I remembered what they looked like 10 years ago when the county officials wanted to condemn them. Many hands have done a restoration to a row of families. We may never know how many other children and family members were impacted.
Driving the transit van gives me joy. I pick up “fun people” to talk with, and we have good conversation on route to FNL. They tell me each week how grateful they are for having a way to get to FNL.
The wood stove gives me joy. I feel connected to God’s creation as I handle each piece of wood and wonder about those who donated the wood, and what birds have nested in their branches.
We have had a lot of residents at the Timothy House who have expressed a desire to return as volunteers. We have a lot of residents who want to be a part of the transition from recipient to participant.
I find joy when I get to interact with babies. Being able to give a mother (or father) a break and form the connections where the parents feel safe with me fills me with JOY!
I was also the recipient of a Timothy House resident’s generosity last week.
Several Timothy House residents found housing and others are anticipating housing.
I get joy from the fact that we celebrate people as part of the Good Works culture!
I get joy when I “belly laugh” with one of our seniors when I visit my senior friends.
I find joy when the teens and pre-teens at FNL want to play a game with the adults.
I experienced a lot of joy when I saw a FNL participant walking into FNL in a ‘reindeer’ outfit
IN THE NEWS
A receipt for your 2025 giving to Good Works will be mailed to you before January 31st. If you need one sooner, contact us. And THANK YOU!
We are finishing up year #45 and this means we are putting our gardens to bed, doing extra maintenance on the Timothy House, Sign of HOPE, and the Good Works property. We are writing letters, compiling statistics, changing forms and preparing for 2026
We had another Transformation Station Celebration on December 13th. This is vehicle # 210. The young woman receiving this vehicle has worked so hard to provide for her children!
LOADS OF HOPE, our FREE laundromat has become a source of encouragement to many people in our community. We are open every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Staff and volunteers welcome each person (or family), help them carry their laundry in the house and we provide everyone with snacks.
Saturday, February 28, 2026, in Athens at the 1st UMC in uptown Athens @ 9:00 am
As some of you know, we created and hosted the Good Works WALK for 17 consecutive years from 2003 to 2019. We ended the WALK and created DAY IN THE LIFE to offer a similar experience and the vision to raise funds to provide as many “days” as possible to provide for some of the costs of operating the Timothy House. Many people have asked me what happened to the WALK? I tried to explain that we moved that language to DAY IN THE LIFE, but it seemed confusing to people. We are now moving back to ‘WALK’ language and the event we are planning will take place February 28, 2026, in Athens. We will return to First United Methodist Church and will begin at 9:00 am. We decided to call this event THE GOOD WORKS WALK with all funds raised directed to fund as many “days” in the life of the Timothy House as possible.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIFE
WE have reached the half-way point of the 33rd year we have been hosting Friday Night Life (FNL) We started in the kitchen of what is now The GW Timothy House, moved to the basement of Central UMC in Athens for about 8 years. Since the year 2000, we have been hosting FNL 6 month each year at The Plains UMC and 6 months on the Good Works Property on Luhrig Road. Because of the generosity of so many people, we are able to provide “take-home” food each week too. We are seeking groups to sponsor one-time in 2026.
SATURDAY SERVICE AND SUMMER 2026
Do you know of a small group who would like to join us as we serve our neighbors who are seniors and who struggle with poverty here in SE Ohio? Saturday Service begins March16th, and we are ready to schedule weekend groups in the Spring and week-long Work Retreats groups for the summer. Summer groups begin Sunday June 14.
Darlene and Keith met in the fall of 1977 at a group student-led Christian Fellowship group called Friday Night Fellowship. They were married in September 1981, about 9 months after Keith started Good Works. During the early days of Good Works, (1980s), Darlene worked for the Athens Senior Center part time and volunteered with Good Works, helping with welcoming adults and children who had no place to sleep. Together, they opened the shelter at 7:00 pm each night. This went on for four years until Good Works relocated to the house now called The Timothy House in west side neighborhood. When Timothy was born in 1990, Darlene took more of a ‘behind the scenes’ role for many years. In 2016, Darlene came on staff part-time to oversee communication with supporters, bills, payroll and to administrate Friday Night Life (FNL). These days she coordinates the schedule, briefs in every FNL sponsoring group, and stays every Friday until everything is finished. She often travels with Keith when he speaks. She too has been involved with Good Works for 45+ years.
IN CLOSING
I want to express my gratitude to each of you. Thank you for reading our newsletters, praying for us, and supporting us. It has been a long obedience in the same direction. 45 years is a long time to do anything. I feel thankful that I get to do what God has called me to do, what I like to do, and for what I call “sustaining grace”. Thanks for loving us in word and in deed.
I know I am repeating myself by sharing again, but I am trying to encourage you to come for our 2026 Good Works WALK which will take place on Saturday, February 28th starting at 9:00 am at the 1st United Methodist Church located at 2 South College Street in uptown Athens. All funds given at or before the WALK will go to Day In the Life, our fundraiser to support as many “days” in the life of the Timothy House as possible. We desire individuals and groups to come. Would you consider organizing a few people to come? Those who want to come in the night before can stay at the Good Works Hannah House.
This year, we will have 3 WALK educational experiences for adults and children of all ages: The Mini Walk is designed for people who want to participate, but who find it difficult to walk. It will be about 100 feet and will include speakers. videos and conversation around hard questions related to homelessness. The other two “WALK” experiences will wind around Athens and focus on (1) Opportunities and Challenges as we Serve our Neighbors and (2) The issues inside Rural Homelessness and how Good Works is caring for adults and children through The Timothy House and Sign of HOPE. To learn more, visit https://goodworksdayinthelife.net/
If you would like to participate in the mission and ministry of Good Works through giving,
