About 60 persons, including residents of every county town, attended the dedication Aug. 25 of the new Greene County Christian Action Resource Center building at 1006 N. Vine St in Jefferson.
Pastor Devin Wolters, president of the Greene County Clergy Association, gave a welcome and offered prayer. Jan Rosdail of Christ Lutheran Church and Nicole Schilling of Central Christian Church read scriptures, Presbyterian pastor Wendy Pittman led a responsorial prayer, and Gary Haupert of First United Methodist Church in Jefferson led music.
Pastor Wolters in his message said the primary job of food pantry volunteers is not to hand out food, but to love those who come, “to be the face of God for these people as they come and are looking for a place to be fed. Our primary job is to feed spiritually by pointing them to Jesus Christ…. God has called us to meet the needs of the community,” he said. “God has called the community together. It doesn’t matter which church you worship at, we’re all God’s people gathered together to see His hand at work.”
“We dedicate not only this building, but our time, our energy, our efforts, so the people of Greene County know that God is in this land,” he concluded.
Shirley Haupert, co-director of the food pantry with Dianne Blackmer, told of several times things “fell in place” in the process of purchasing and remodeling the former Clark Plumbing & Heating building into the Action Resource Center.
Several jobs remain to be finished. Organizers would like to purchase and hang a thermal curtain above the center room to block drafts; power wash and paint the north and east sides of the building; power wash and paint the south side of the building or purchase siding; and finish putting cedar board siding around the door and windows and paint the west side.
Sealing and painting the roof is on the to-do list for the next year, and the old air conditioner will need attention in the spring.
Cost of the projects is estimated at $5,000. Until the former location on E. Harrison St is sold, there is no money in the building fund.
