c. 1997 Religion News Service

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. _ When Beverly Livingston needed some things repaired around her house, the single mother of two didn’t turn to the Yellow Pages. Instead, she called Joyce Egedy, dispatcher for the Helping Hands Ministry at Weatherly Heights Baptist here.

Helping Hands is a unique ministry started by several local churches, offering assistance to single mothers, widows, the elderly and the disabled in an area ignored by most ministries _ home and automobile repairs.

The Helping Hands volunteers are not only eager to keep their repair skills fine tuned, but they also have a genuine desire to help others in need.

“We’re all doing it for the same reason,” said Don Routh, a member at Weatherly Heights. “It’s an opportunity to reach out and help others and to be a Christian witness. It also helps you get to know other people in your church which you probably never would have known.”

The program at Weatherly Heights is one of a number of similar ministries that have sprung up here in recent years.

Another, at Southwood Presbyterian, also calls itself Helping Hands, while Willowbrook Baptist calls its similar ministry In His Name. They are all designed first to help those in need in their own congregation, but each makes exceptions for those outside their congregations.

Helping Hands volunteers offer advice on whether something needs to be repaired or replaced. If they can repair or replace it, they will, or provide names of trustworthy people who can do the job.

Helping Hands workers at Weatherly Heights and Southwood provide free labor and only charge for parts or other costs incurred. For those who can’t afford to reimburse costs, the church helps out.

Sometimes money comes from donations by others who have used Helping Hands. And Willowbrook not only takes care of the labor, but also all repair costs.

For Beverly Livingston, Helping Hands has been a godsend.

“You never really know who to call or who you can trust,” said Livingston, a kindergarten teacher. “They have been absolutely wonderful. Also, it doesn’t take them several days to get here. They usually come right over when you call. If they tell me something needs replacing, I know they are telling the truth. I really appreciate what they’ve done for me.”

Southwood’s program concentrates on auto care. About three times a year, the Helping Hands volunteers there set up a car inspection area in the church parking lot. People bring their vehicles to be checked for problems, have minor repairs done, or just get the oil changed, paying only for the oil and filter.

“It’s a ministry mostly to help folks with financial limitations,” said Scott Griess, director of Southwood’s program. “Women have a tendency to be targets for unscrupulous people and get taken advantage of.”

Willowbrook started its In His Name ministry about a year ago. It already has 40 volunteers, said Steve Beale, coordinator of the Men’s Ministry at the church. Besides auto and home repairs, volunteers cut grass and help with moving, painting and other chores that can be overwhelming to single women and the elderly.

“It’s a good ministry and totally free,” said Beale. “We help ourselves when we help others. We keep a record of what work we do on the cars for the next time we do an automotive check.”

While many of the volunteers are retired men, others are still in the work force or are students. A few women also volunteer their time.

“We may not all be experts, but we can give advice, and we hope it has wisdom in it,” said Weatherly Heights’ Routh. “Trust is one of our strong points because we don’t have a monetary conflict of interest.”

MJP END WHITE