POCAHONTAS — Believing the greatest way to show the love of Christ is by serving, parishioners of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Pocahontas and St. John the Baptist Church in Engelberg have united to become the hands and feet of Christ by combining their talents to help those in need.
A group called the “Servants of Jesus the Carpenter” is dedicated to meeting basic needs in the community through home repair to improve the quality of life. The lay ministry was organized in February when local carpenter, Ken Difani, saw a need in the home of a person who was physically unable to make the necessary repairs. He shared that need with fellow St. Paul parishioner Danny Ellis. Shortly after, a meeting was called to plan a course of action.
“It really came together fast,” Ellis said. “It has truly been the work of the Holy Spirit. There was just an idea, we met two or three times and now have close to 100 volunteers.”
The first order of business consisted of selecting a slate of officers, establishing bylaws and a process, guidelines to follow in listing projects by importance or most pressing needs.
“There has to be a real need,” SJC president Ronnie Rose said. “We don’t build decks around pools.”
The first step is by submitting a project application which can be picked up at Rose’s office located in the St. Paul rectory. Rose said he then meets with Father John Marconi, pastor for both St. Paul and St. John, to determine if the application should be submitted to the survey team whose role is to ensure SJC has the capability to undertake the project. Once the project meets board approval, a job supervisor is selected from among the list of volunteers.
Because each undertaking is different, volunteers are asked to list their talents when coming on board, Rose said. The supervisor, or director, is determined by his or her related field of expertise, such as plumbing, carpentry, painting or even cooking due to the length of the project, generally no less than one full day.
“We all have a meal together,” Difani said. “And pray together.”
Difani said that while the ministry targets housing issues, evangelism is its major focus. In addition to sharing the Gospel through service, clients are given packets containing religious materials. Rose, who serves as Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults director, said packets prepared for non-Catholics also contain RCIA material. This past year, Rose headed up one of the largest RCIA classes to date and said SJC was a great way to get the congregation’s newest members involved.
Since its formation, SJC has completed two projects in private homes along with painting classrooms at St. Paul School. Its largest project to date has been converting two rooms of the convent into a classroom for “Pray and Play,” a new ministry for preschoolers scheduled to begin this month.
Maria Dixon and Lisa Baltz are heading up the class, which will meet during the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. Paul.
“Both Lisa and I are stay-at-home moms and we just needed something to do,” Dickson said. “We came up with the idea of a nursery program. There is a desperate need for one.”
Dickson said they presented the idea to the parish council which suggested using one of the vacant rooms at the convent.
Dickson said although the convent had the space, it was somewhat confined, prompting SJC to come to the rescue.
“Lisa and I are so grateful to the SJC volunteers for the work they did,” Dickson said. “They had to tear down the wall to double the size of the classroom. We can’t thank them enough for all their hard work.”
Several members will be traveling with Pocahontas dentist and fellow parishioner, Dr. Dennis and Janet Holt, when they return to Belize in September. The couple established an on-going mission to provide health care and education to the children of Belize.
“There’s some good things taking place in the Catholic Church,” Rose said. “New things can happen in old places. It’s very encouraging.”
To learn more about the Servants of Jesus the Carpenter, visit the Web site at www.sunshinesearch.net/SJC.
