Volunteers and staff of the faith-based emergency services nonprofit will tell you they witness God provide exactly what they need when it is needed. Personnel, money, supplies, always when it is least expected but most useful.
Those volunteering to repair roofs this summer with Sumter United Ministries witnessed it when they felt a cloud block the sun, a cool breeze offer a short relief from the heat, Construction Ministry Director Matt Moore said.
"While we receive many of these types of provisions, we as a ministry also are used by God to be one of these divine provisions," he said.
An annual fundraiser helps the ministry continue its work by asking Item readers to donate to Summer of Caring. Unlike the wintertime Fireside Fund, this campaign allows ministry staff to use funding in any area needed, rather than earmarking donations to heating help.
SUM provides food, housing and clothing to Sumter's elderly, individuals and families in need who become eligible through an interview process, but they also do much more. They offer education assistance and run a medical clinic. They pay for heating and HVAC repairs and access and gather volunteers each summer to climb on people's homes and repair their roofs.
The Construction Ministry helped a couple recently who purchased their home in Sumter County a decade ago when they had steady income and jobs they both enjoyed and found fulfilling. Their future looked bright.
That vision started to dim for the couple, now in their late 40s and early 50s, when the wife started having heart issues, according to an anecdote provided by Moore.
"The dim sky would soon turn dark. The husband had a terrible accident at work that left him disabled," he said. "This dark sky would soon open a flood gate that would leave this couple homeless."
Amid heart troubles and fighting for disability, their roof started to leak, Moore recalled. At first, it was just one spot in the house. Then it turned into several rooms.
"One contractor quoted them $14,000, and they knew immediately they would never be able to afford it. They decided to look for outside help and filled out an application with our Construction Ministry," Moore said. "As time went on, the leaking became too much for them to bear. They decided at the beginning of 2021 that if they could not get the roof repaired by the end of the year, they were going to give their home back to the bank.
"They knew they had nowhere to go, but that would be better than living in a home falling apart."
Shortly after making that decision, they received a call from the Construction Ministry.
Moore and his team started going through the process of assisting the couple with a new roof, but they held their breath, unsure if the ministry was really going to help.
"At the end of June during the Construction Ministry's Summer Restore, 16 adults - college, high school and middle school students from Westminster Presbyterian Church - came to the rescue," Moore said. "When this couple was about to give up hope, God provided their needs."
A cloud to block the sun for the volunteers. A chance at a better life for the couple.
"Your donations to Summer of Caring allow the Construction Ministry and the other ministries at Sumter United Ministries," Moore said, "to provide lasting change and hope to those who have lost hope."
New donations as of July 13: James Jones, $1,650; Ann Booth, $50; Jane Tisdale, $100; Seekers Sunday School Class of Crosswell Baptist, $200; Adult III Sunday School Class of Shaw Heights, $100; and Charlie Pitts, in honor of Jenny Jackson, $25.
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July 14, 2021 at 06:55AM
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Annual Summer of Caring helps Sumter couple avoid homelessness - Sumter Item
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