EASLEY — United Wesleyan Church of Easley is doing more than just missionary work — they are now taking on home improvement to help soul improvement across the globe.
The church, in conjunction with Southern Wesleyan University, has purchased a home located in Central at 1193 Norris Highway, and are in the process of renovations and improvements on the residence for the purpose of placing the finished product on the market.
The profits from the sale will go to support missionaries now serving overseas.
Sr. Pastor Tim Jones, himself a missionary delivering sermons and lessons during crusades including one scheduled for February of this year, is excited about the new program. It could be the only one of its kind in the area, if not the state, he said.
“We think this is a unique program here in the area, as far as we know, and this is the first time we have done this in conjunction with habitat for Missions located in Marion, Indiana. We are very mission-oriented and wanted a way to help missionaries and this seemed like a good way to start,” Jones said. “It’s a good way to invest in missions and other congregations have become involved, meaning there’s another opportunity to bring different groups together for a good cause. We have a group from Hendersonville, N.C., coming in this weekend to do some work, as a matter of fact. It is giving us a way to build tighter bonds.”
The project is expected to be completed in March at which time the home will be placed on the market for sale. According to Jones, 90 percent of the proceeds will go to directly assisting missionaries overseas with the remaining 10 percent going toward the purchase of the next home to be renovated.
The beneficiaries of this first project will be a couple now in Vienna, Austria. According to Jones, the recently wed couple, in their mid-20s, are also graduates of SWU. It is policy to not identify missionaries by name while overseas in conjunction with their location.
“This is a young couple we have taken on financially along with SWU, and that’s why we purchased the home,” Jones said. “We are getting volunteer help and help from other churches. It’s such a good opportunity to help and grow some stronger bonds. The response has been fantastic.”
All are invited to assist and anyone who would like to volunteer their skills toward can call Jeff Galloway at 864-423-7804, Michelle Bryant at 864-360-9588 or Tim Jones at 864-230-3607.
