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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Andrea Venezia, Jill Wolters and Jon "Snorkie" Venezia scrubbing mildew form the walls in what will be a study in the basement of the parsonage at Open Arms Community Church.
It’s like a reality show, without the show. While Pastor Mike MacAvoy and his family are on vacation, the folks at Open Arms Community church are stepping up to give them a surprise when they arrive home next week.
The Church is remodeling and repainting the parsonage, adding a bed room and a study, and replacing a porch.
THe move is funded by the church and independent donations, and it’s going to take a lot of work.
Church member Jill Wolters says, “When Mike and Marne came to pastor here over a year ago, she was pregnant, and so a lot of the painting couldn’t get done.”
Add on top of that the time consuming task of being a ministry family in a freshly planted church, and four kids, all living on a pastor’s salary, and it’s a wonder the MacAvoy’s even get by.
So, with a basement full of stuff that they didn’t really want, including church lawnmowers and a host of toys the kids never play with, the people of Open Arms went to work.
“First, we’re getting all the stuff out, and then we’re going to clean up the basement so we can build a bedroom and a study, “ says church treasurer Holly Peffer.
The room that will be the study was cleaned Thursday afternoon. A bit of moisture called for some bleach cleaning and a sealant to be applied to the wall before the sheetrock and paint job were applied..
And shelving units for “Pastor Mike’s” books have to be installed, with a desk, and some creative lighting.
Upstairs, the kitchen is getting a new paint job, the bathroom will be redone, and Mike and Marne’s bedroom will get a fresh coat of paint at the very least. Wolters is hoping someone can step up to purchase a new bed for the couple.
Workers were busy Thursday fixing a lighting fixture in the living room, and preparing a side porch to be rebuilt. The back deck must be torn down, with a car port roof built, and an exterior paint job around the entire building.
Church members also purchased a shed to keep lawnmowers and outdoor equipment in, so that the MacAvoy Basement can be free to be a laundry/utility and play area.
“Why am I doing this? Because I want to give something back. They give so much to the community, it’s the least we can do to help them,” says John “Snorkie” Venezia, “it’s a humble way to say ‘Thank You’.”
Peffer says Venezia and his family are just one of the many lives that have been changed thanks to the love that the MacAvoy’s invest in the community.
Volunteers from the church will wrap up the work Saturday in an all day work session. Wolters says anyone, whether they go to Open Arms or not is welcome to come help out if they would like.
“It’s what we do,” she says, “we’re an ‘out of the box’ church here, and we want to show love to our pastor, but also to the rest of the community.”
The Church is remodeling and repainting the parsonage, adding a bed room and a study, and replacing a porch.
THe move is funded by the church and independent donations, and it’s going to take a lot of work.
Church member Jill Wolters says, “When Mike and Marne came to pastor here over a year ago, she was pregnant, and so a lot of the painting couldn’t get done.”
Add on top of that the time consuming task of being a ministry family in a freshly planted church, and four kids, all living on a pastor’s salary, and it’s a wonder the MacAvoy’s even get by.
So, with a basement full of stuff that they didn’t really want, including church lawnmowers and a host of toys the kids never play with, the people of Open Arms went to work.
“First, we’re getting all the stuff out, and then we’re going to clean up the basement so we can build a bedroom and a study, “ says church treasurer Holly Peffer.
The room that will be the study was cleaned Thursday afternoon. A bit of moisture called for some bleach cleaning and a sealant to be applied to the wall before the sheetrock and paint job were applied..
And shelving units for “Pastor Mike’s” books have to be installed, with a desk, and some creative lighting.
Upstairs, the kitchen is getting a new paint job, the bathroom will be redone, and Mike and Marne’s bedroom will get a fresh coat of paint at the very least. Wolters is hoping someone can step up to purchase a new bed for the couple.
Workers were busy Thursday fixing a lighting fixture in the living room, and preparing a side porch to be rebuilt. The back deck must be torn down, with a car port roof built, and an exterior paint job around the entire building.
Church members also purchased a shed to keep lawnmowers and outdoor equipment in, so that the MacAvoy Basement can be free to be a laundry/utility and play area.
“Why am I doing this? Because I want to give something back. They give so much to the community, it’s the least we can do to help them,” says John “Snorkie” Venezia, “it’s a humble way to say ‘Thank You’.”
Peffer says Venezia and his family are just one of the many lives that have been changed thanks to the love that the MacAvoy’s invest in the community.
Volunteers from the church will wrap up the work Saturday in an all day work session. Wolters says anyone, whether they go to Open Arms or not is welcome to come help out if they would like.
“It’s what we do,” she says, “we’re an ‘out of the box’ church here, and we want to show love to our pastor, but also to the rest of the community.”
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