Major Renovation Provided by Caring Individuals
Sevierville, TN– The Church of God Smoky Mountain Children’s Home recently completed a renovation of their campus gymnasium. Director of Communications and Campus Services, Coleman Peacock, provided Faith News with the following testimonial of the series of events that brought about the much needed upgrade.
Miracles are manifested in many ways and through various means, and a miracle is just what Smoky Mountain Children’s Home needed for its aging gymnasium. What is a miracle? The dictionary defines it as “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of the divine.”
When Dr. Walt Mauldin, Executive Director, arrived on campus some months ago, it was very obvious that the SMCH gymnasium needed major renovations. He stated, “We saw the need, but the finances were just not available for the project. The budget could not handle that kind of expenditure, but our children and young people utilize this gym on a daily basis. This would take a miracle!”
Herein lies the challenge. Of the five heating/air conditioning units resting on the roof of the building, only one unit was operational, and replacement costs were estimated at about $8,000 per unit. Yes, we needed a miracle. However, we were unaware that this miracle was already germinating. After a board of directors meeting, Dr. Stephen Darnell, board member and State Administrative Bishop of South Georgia, contacted a friend in Houston, Texas about donating the needed H/AC units. Once they took a look at estimated shipping costs, they decided to raise the funds instead! Dr. Darnell and South Georgia raised $38,150.60 toward the project. Local Sevierville business owner and longtime SMCH supporters, Ron and Betty Ogle, provided the installation and an additional $5,800 to complete the project. Miracle, Phase 1 completed.
As the H/AC units were being installed, workers detected issues with the roofing. But, the miracle was still manifesting itself for even greater good. The miracle stirred the hearts of Roy and Barbara Miller of Wooster, Ohio to provide another $32,435 to replace the gymnasium roof. (The Millers had already responded with a $17,000 miracle, which fully funded three new signs for the campus.) In the meantime, two other roofing systems would need replacing, and Ron and Betty Ogle stepped up again to provide $13,000 to accomplish the work. Miracle, Phase 2 completed.
At SMCH’s Fall Harvest Dinner and Auction event, Pastor Ron Ragan of Trinity Fellowship in Indianapolis caught the vision for this Sevierville-based campus ministry. He made a
commitment to go back to the state of Indiana and raise funds for the gymnasium’s interior renovation so the residents of SMCH could effectively use the facility again. He single-handedly raised approximately $14,000 and scheduled a team of workers from his church to come to Sevierville on January 3rd of this year to begin the renovation. Over the next four days, an eight-member crew worked 12-hour shifts and painted the entire gym (ceiling and walls using more than 200 gallons of paint) and replaced the outdated lighting with a new state-of-the-art lighting system that uses motion sensors to turn lights on and off, providing energy efficiency for the gym. Then the group topped off the renovation with new gym wall pads. Miracle, Phase 3 completed.
Last month the miracle manifested completion when a Lee University student group—the Student Leadership Council, supervised by Dr. Mike Hayes–came to SMCH campus to put the finishing touches on the project by painting the entrance to the gymnasium. Miracle, Phase 4 completed.
Miracle accomplished! With the help from some extraordinary people who really care about SMCH, over $103,385.60 was raised to pay for the complete renovation of this iconic building on campus. Now, children and youth will be able to use this gym on a daily basis for recreation and school related activities. SMCH administration, staff, and residents extend a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped to achieve this milestone: a miracle that spans three states, involving different people over a period of several months.
Perhaps you would be willing to become a part of the “next miracle” on the Smoky Mountain Children’s Home campus. SMCH depends on the people of God to meet our numerous pressing needs.
