Members Of Maumee United Methodist Church Help Needy In Johns Island, South Carolina
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
A group of high school students and adult chaperones from Maumee United Methodist Church traveled nearly 1,000 miles to help residents living on Johns Island, S.C.
“It was good to go down there and do work for God,” said Collin Reid, a 17-year-old student at Maumee High School.
Working through Rural Mission, a community foundation set up to help the needy in that area, the group left Maumee on June 26 for the seven-day trip, during which they painted an elementary school and replaced a kitchen in a home that was in need of repair.
At Angel Oak Elementary School, the group painted 10 classrooms as well as hallways and the school office. They also painted murals on some of the walls.
“Going on the trip meant a lot because it’s the first one I ever went on and it was hard work, but we could see how much they appreciated what we did,” said Tony McCullough, 15, who will be a sophomore at MHS in the fall.
Other members worked at the home of resident Loretta Stanley, where they gutted and replaced the floors and cabinets and “jacked up” the house to make it structurally sound, explained Jay Miklovic, the church’s youth pastor.
“The house was literally sinking from water damage,” Miklovic said.
“People were actually falling through the floors,” said Sam Rohloff, another 17-year-old student from MHS who went on the trip.
While the island itself is located in a pristine location near the Atlantic Ocean and resort communities including Kiawah Island and historic downtown Charleston, some rural residents living there are extremely poor, Miklovic said.
“Some of the residents are sixth-generation families that have never left, but they can barely pay their property taxes,” he said. “The property on the island has become so highly valued, they might have a $1,000 per month property tax on a house that’s valued at $3,000.”
While he doesn’t fault the developers who are putting up large housing developments there, “it’s the system of taxes that is killing those people,” he said.
The students spent down time at local beaches and they also participated in a seafood jamboree hosted by the Gullah people who are native to the island.
While they worked at the elementary school, the Maumee group had the opportunity to spend time talking to the elementary students who were participating in summer camps.
“Going on this trip opened my eyes to doing God’s work,” said Isaiah Trevino, 15.
Miklovic said that even in the sweltering heat, the week was pure bliss.
“It’s not about getting a bunch of work done; it’s the joy in serving other people. It’s what we’re created to do. It’s all for God’s glory,” he said.
Church fund-raisers helped pay for the trip as well as the building supplies needed for the repair work.
Other students in the mission group included Jackie Baas, Nikki Dibble, Dominic Garn, Missy Glover, Katlyn Greenawalt, Karla Luketic, Max Ocke, Chelsea and Courtney Ranes, Hunter Reichard, Sam Reid, Ben and Rachel Schilling, Corinne Shuff, Noah Sullivan and Regan Tokes.
Adult members included Bill Cox, Carla and Jeremy Hinde, Derek and Lori Kaplan, Kristen Miklovic, Megan Miller, Sarah Rosenberger and Mike Wood.