North Georgia-based nonprofit Builders for Christ constructs foster home in Calhoun County
EDISON – Wayne Trundle gazed up at the tall wooden frame of a soon-to-be vaulted living room.
Behind him, the sound of hammers cracked against long plywood strips as sawdust flew into the humid air, swirling with the swarms of southwest Georgia gnats.
It was the first week of June, and for Builders for Christ, a nonprofit that does construction work for church organizations, that meant the start of its major annual project.
'A lot of the guys come every year, and it's like a big family reunion,' Trundle, the project manager, said. 'We look forward to seeing each other, catching up. It's amazing to see with the volunteer help and shared knowledge what will get done here.'
The eclectic crew was made up of about 70 people, from ages 5 to 85: electricians, construction workers, retirees, businessmen, preachers and quasi-engineers. They traveled from all around Georgia and Alabama in trucks, camper vans and RVs, landing at Rehoboth Ranch Ministries in Calhoun County. This year's major project was to construct a full-time home where a Lee County family could raise their children and foster children.
The project is named 'Welcome Home Rehoboth Ranch.' The completed foster home will be a part of Rehoboth Ranch Ministries, which also has a men's rehabilitation program for individuals struggling with addiction.
Unfolding a large blueprint, Trundle points to the home's eight bedrooms, industrial-sized laundry room and large, open living space. This first group of 70 is tasked with completing the home's framing by the end of the week. Separate crews for mechanics, electric, drywall and more will follow.
On Sunday, a small group laid the foundations for the rest of the week. By Wednesday, the house's framed walls stood tall, and a group of men, and even one child, began to lay wood sheets for the roof.
'We don't require any knowledge as far as building or construction,' Trundle said. 'We've got plenty of guys that know how to do this. We just need hands.'
The hands come in both small and large sizes. Seniors, retired from construction, wear tool belts and hats with sun shades as they saw away at lumber. Small children carry long pieces of lumber – a boy on each end.
Many, like Trundle, are retired after decades spent working in construction. Some of them, like 18-year-old Kyle Sumners, grew up on construction sites. He was 10 when he first accompanied his grandpa, who had learned about Builders for Christ when they did work on his own church, to a project.
At 10 years old, Trundle mainly helped his grandpa in the tool trailer and toted lumber. At 18, his favorite job is setting trusses and decking the roof, a part of the project he now leads.
'From a little boy, I've always loved fiddling around, working on stuff, helping my papa or dad with something,' Sumners said. 'It's fun to me, watching something start out as nothing, and by the time you're done, it's something.'
It's now a family affair for the Sumners. This year, they traveled six hours from their home in Wolfsburg, Ala., to Edison in their grandparents' motor home. They're 'camping' out along with several other families on the Rehoboth Ranch property. The rest of the Builders for Christ are scattered throughout Calhoun and Randolph counties at rentals or in churches kind enough to open their doors.
Bobby Lunceford, the nonprofit's president, said not only do the builders volunteer their time, but they pay to be there. A $125 payment goes to groceries and insurance. They don't make any money.
'We don't have money left over at the end, and we don't want any,' Lunceford said.
Sumners said it makes him happy to know that his hard work is for other people.
'Knowing that you come out building something, and it's gonna be done within a week – to put up a whole entire house or church for someone … it's pretty incredible,' he said.
The future tenants of the home should not let the speedy work concern them. Lunceford said in 30 years, the builders have never failed an inspection.
The builders work from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m., rising early to eat breakfast together, pausing for lunches and dinners. The team ate with Sean and Melissa, the future heads of the household. (The couple asked that their last name be left out of the story to protect their children's privacy as they continue to foster.)
Sean said that they got to share their story with the group, the same one he and Melissa shared with The Albany Herald about one year ago, when the space, now filled by their future home's frame, was just a grassy hilltop. Right now, he and Melissa are fostering four kids along with raising the six kids they've adopted. They say they hope to be able to add two more to the family with the added space.
'We have mixed emotions,' Sean said. 'We're humbled and grateful that people are taking the time to come out and build it – the trust the Lord has in us in providing his people and resources.'
He said watching the progress, from a slab on Sunday, to a structure with walls and a roof just days later, was exciting.
Melissa said she's ready for the slower pace the countryside offers, a space with land and animals where the children can play and grow. She's also excited for more room in the house, and the industrial sized laundry room and pantry.
'With large families, I don't think people think about how much it takes,' she said. 'The washers, as you can imagine, are always running.'
Once the first round of work is completed, the family will have a ceremony to write scriptures on the framing. Sean said if funds allow, they hope to move in to the house in time to host Thanksgiving dinner there.
'We're excited to move forward,' Melissa said. 'We're overwhelmed.'
Wayne Trundle gazes up at the framework. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganBuilders for Christ volunteers are all ages. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganThree volunteers measure out plywood. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWelcome Home Rehoboth Ranch on Sunday, June 1. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganWelcome Home Rehoboth Ranch on Wednesday. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganVolunteers pause for a break on the roof. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganKyle Sumners carries a long piece of plywood. Staff Photo: Lucille LanniganThe volunteers wore shirts representing the religious nonprofit as they worked. Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan
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