Join Presbytery’s Pathways to Home Ownership Project Team
Volunteers from local congregations are needed for the week of July 18 

One of the many gifts of the connectional church is strength and numbers to serve in ways that we cannot alone.  We are pulling together a team from Presbytery of the Miami Valley for a Week of Compassion beginning July 18 with the Pathways to Homeownership Project.

The tornado and the pandemic exacerbated a pre-existing lack of affordable housing in the area. An innovating partnership has developed to help meet this need, promoting equity and access to affordable housing. The Pathways to Home Ownership Project assists families displaced from tornado-damaged rental housing in becoming first-time homeowners.

The Pathways to Home Ownership Project has been supported by the Presbytery of the Miami Valley, resulting in Fearn House, (pictured above), through financial gifts and volunteer labor.

Week of Compassion, the disaster ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), will be hosting volunteers this summer to finish the interiors of homes as part of this project.  It is our desire to pull together a team of 5-10 people for that week from our local churches.  Since paperwork and forms are due to the staff at Week of Compassion by July 4 at the latest, we know time is of the essence.  Here’s what you and your congregation need to know to determine if serving that week is right for you and your congregation:

• The presbytery will provide two coordinators for the week.  One of them will be present onsite each day that week.  Your volunteers need only register, fill out the forms, and show up at our worksite at the right time.
• All who serve are required to be fully vaccinated (at least two shots) against Covid-19 by July 4.
• There is no cost to serve.  Since we are local and will not need housing, the $50 fee per volunteer does not apply.
• While people are encouraged to serve the whole week (Monday-Saturday), our primary goal is providing a team of 5-10 workers each day throughout the week.  Volunteers from your church can split the week, and those who can come only a few days will not be disqualified as long as we have 5-10 volunteers each day.  We want to encourage people to serve as many days as they can that week, while also encouraging people not to disqualify themselves because they can’t do the whole week.
• While skilled volunteers are always appreciated, there will be plenty of ways for unskilled volunteers to make a difference and onsite coordinators to help teach, explain, and guide the work.
• Youth 14 and up may serve with a ratio of 4 youth per 1 adult.

If you think one or more people from your congregation would be willing to serve with us, email both Terry Kukuk at ep@miamipresbytery.org and Amy Duiker at aduiker@sugarcreekchurch.org to express your interest immediately and receive more information. (Please email both Terry and Amy to cover each other’s vacations.)