Pathway Church Participates With ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
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Ty Pennington talkes with the Gaudet family |
In early February, Pathway Temple Church of God of Mobile, Alabama, was asked by ABC Television and Heritage Homes to help with the popular television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. As many as 150 members from Pathway volunteered, says Andric Daugherty, administrative pastor at Pathway. They served meals, worked in the house for the Gaudet family, whose home was damaged by Katrina, and acted as tour guides for guests and VIPs.
Several Pathway businessmen contributed their skills with such things as cabinet installation and trim carpentry. Others helped raise trusses, clean the house, and move furniture. Many Pathway members were on hand at the end of the week to shout those famous words “Move That Bus!” The Gaudet family, recipients of the home improvement, was chosen in part because of their volunteer work in the community. “They have given so much to the Mobile area, and now the Mobile area is able to give something back,” remarked Pathway’s Pastor Joey Turman.
In conjunction with the home makeover project, Pathway Church volunteered to assist in refurbishing a neighboring home. Mrs. Phebe Lagrave, a senior adult, had paid a contractor to repair her handicap ramp and paint her home. The contractor required that she prepay the project but never performed the work. On learning about Mrs. Lagrave’s need, Pathway took action.
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Mrs. Lagrave’s house after work was done. |
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Mrs. Lagrave’s house before work was done. |
Materials and labor were donated to construct a new handicap ramp. Sherwin Williams Paint Company provided the paint and painters. Landscaping was provided by Ernie Quinley, owner of Morrison’s Landscape & Irrigation and a member of Forest Hill Church of God. “This is real ministry, helping others and spreading the love of Christ,” commented Pastor Turman.
Under the direction of Pastor Turman, Pathway organized the “Be the Church, Faith in Action” initiative in 2007. “Starting the ‘Be the Church’ initiative was easy,” he says. “Our congregation has such a heart to help others and a spirit of cooperation that large projects just seem second nature.” The church has always been instrumental in organizing large relief efforts, especially during natural disasters in the Gulf Coast region, such as hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005).
With their commitment to take their faith outside the walls of the church and into the community, they are putting their faith into action. In the summer of 2007, Pathway helped to renovate the facilities of the Boys and Girls Club in nearby Semmes. The Pathway congregants remodeled two classrooms—a movie/media room and the game room. Church volunteers hauled away dumpsters of debris, landscaped the outside of the building, installed air-conditioning to five rooms, and cleaned and painted the gymnasium as well as other areas of the building. They also installed donated siding and windows. Over 150 volunteers worked on this project as well. As a result, several families have made Pathway their church home.
“The harvest is outside the walls of the church,” explains Pastor Turman, “so naturally we must go out to where the harvest is. . . . That is why every church should ‘Be the Church!'”
