Every morning in Louisville, a group of “retired guys” gathers in prayer before service projects around the city. “This is not done for show, it’s done because God answers prayer,” explained Harvey Willis, who has been volunteering with Serve Louisville for over four years. “Before we do anything each morning we pray over the projects, the building, the people who will be in it.”
This group has taken a volunteer opportunity, and expanded it into a community, a family, that supports each other as they support others through acts of service. Harvey shared his wonder at joining this group, “It is amazing – most of us treat each other like brothers, not just brothers in Christ but true brothers. When we get together to work we are sensitive to what is going on in each other’s lives.”
Harvey continued, “We pray in the morning, pray at lunch, and pray for thanksgiving at the end of the day. This is a time for us to share what’s on your mind and heart, share prayer requests. And we check in on each other and visit each other – support each other. If we see someone’s name is not on the schedule, we will call and check on them.” Stories of hospital visits, fasting for each other, sharing convictions from recent sermons, and so much more came to Harvey’s mind as he shared his experience with Serve Louisville.
Learning while serving
Harvey has a varied background in accounting, marketing, and building/remodeling. As retirement approached, friends and relatives shared their experience with Serve Louisville and encouraged him to volunteer. Their excitement and sincerity lead him to join soon after retirement. Even with experience in construction, Harvey was amazed at the new skills he was able to acquire through volunteering. Even more so the willingness of others to teach these volunteers such a variety of techniques.
“They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I’ve seen these guys learn a lot.” Harvey further illustrated, “It is so good to see people thinking they aren’t skilled, but get them plugged in anyway. They watch and eventually they are doing themselves. Even though I have a background of remodeling and construction for 20+ years, I still have learned so many things, some very technical.”
Serving Louisville
In the four and a half years Harvey has been serving, he has worked on over thirty projects around Louisville and Shelbyville. He excitedly shared about the new building materials he has learned to use, such as a special epoxy/mesh procedure in Veterans Village used to support the interior of the community center and foam building blocks filled with concrete used to construct homes in Thunder Sky (a subdivision for families with special needs).
However, his favorite projects are not based on construction alone. While converting an old hvac contractor building on a tight budget, Harvey was deeply amazed by multiple things. First Hour Grief, a counseling center focusing on support after a loss, wanted to expand their reach into the West End. Serve Louisville jumped in to, in Harvey’s words, “Turn a disaster building into a counseling center.”
With a tight budget, the crew did everything possible to reuse and repurpose as much as they safely could. “There were so many hiccups, but we were always able to figure it out without extra expense. A whole bunch of people were chipping in, and the neighbors were always curious and wanting to help.” To Harvey this was a beautiful example of God’s provision.
During the process, the Director of First Hour Grief would visit the site. “Lisa would come over and just cry because she couldn’t believe it,” remembered Harvey. The volunteer crew became close with Lisa’s family and continued their service by remodeling their home. That relationship has encouraged Lisa’s husband to pursue volunteering himself. Harvey was further impacted as people close to him started going to First Hour Grief themselves.
Read our article about House of Hope, another of Harvey’s favorite projects…
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The Serve Louisville family keeps expanding, and is always ready to welcome new volunteers. Since his friends encouraged him to join years ago, Harvey has in turn encouraged more to volunteer as well. One thing he enjoys most is how much CrossRoads shows their appreciation to the volunteers and works alongside them. “When you voice a concern or notice someone is overwhelmed, management listens and reacts appropriately. That makes the experience so much better – we are a team. Our meetings are open and frequent, and the staff shows their appreciation constantly.”
Are you looking for a way to get plugged into a community like this? Contact our staff to find out how you can get involved!
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