You may not have even noticed, or perhaps you have, but a number of small (and some not so small) changes, improvements, and fix-ups have taken place around Central recently. For the past year-and-a-half or so, a group of mostly retired men formed to take on many of those improvements. They call themselves the Tuesday Morning Guys (TMG)–because they do what they do on, you guessed it–Tuesday mornings. And it’s grown into sort of its own ministry team with 8-10 guys, each with a different skill or interest to contribute what they have to meet a need. It didn’t grow out of a vision or a plan, but simply because a few of those guys saw physical needs around Central that needed to be addressed and thought “Oh, I could fix that.”
You may have noticed some of the following from a long list:
– Upgrades to the two restrooms near the Worship Center
– Replacing old and non-working lighting throughout
– New landscaping around the church and signage on York Road
– Major pruning and regular clean-up to the church landscaping
– Plumbing and electrical repairs and improvements
– Creating a new family restroom
– Clearing out old and unused items from the garage/pavillion
– Painting everywhere
– Cleaning carpets and tiled floors
Some of the guys have specific skills from their own careers or hobbies, and some simply want to do whatever they can to help out–to be a part in some way. Some of them have been using their skills and available time around Central for many years, fixing and improving what they can. But this was a way to do it–together with others. So, Tuesday morning became the day. In addition to completing a long list of improvements, what developed are new friendships and relationships between most of these guys just by working together.
One of the volunteers, Doug Turner, previously owned and managed a construction company and enjoys organizing and prioritizing the efforts of the team. Many projects were initiated for improved efficiency and safety of the church building, such as updating the small stair to the choir chancel in the Sanctuary and repairing the water damaged ceiling in the Worship Center. Other efforts improve the atmosphere of the church with fresh paint, refreshed lighting, window cleaning and floor maintenance. At Christmastime, the team assembled the 20-foot trees in the Worship Center, checked lights and decorated the trees. In every project, there is need for every kind of assistance from set up to clean up.
This past year, Central hosted its first Live Nativity event. The TMG helped out the Live Nativity Team by picking up many materials from a local Christmas tree farm and building some of the structures for that event. Other items on the TMG list simply come from noticing various things around the church that need to be fixed or improved. Lead Custodian Jesse Baum is always helpful with his vast knowledge of the building and assistance with much of what the TMG guys do. Business Administrator Randy Dowdy is the main point of contact with the church staff and helps coordinate their efforts.
The core team includes Doug Turner, Rick Ferree, Neal Davidson, Art Moorshead, Tim Dobson, Rob Bair, Ed Knight, Jess Gardner, David Crockett, Bob Wolf, Chris Smoes and Curt Russell with several others joining in as they’re available. The men enjoy bringing their gifts and efforts to the table as a team and will often have lunch together after completing their work on Tuesday mornings.
If you would like to learn more about serving with TMG, contact a member of the group.
