Amsbry United Methodist Church issued the following announcement on Sept. 1.
When life takes a turn and accessibility becomes necessary who do you call? If you are part of the Erie-Meadville District, you call Ramps of Hope, part of All God’s Children’s Ministries. I know, I called them.
When my spouse, Ed, was rendered a paraplegic this June, I had many difficult decisions to make and there were many things I had to learn. As a United Methodist pastor, I asked the church I serve, Wesley in Erie, to renovate the parsonage.
The parsonage is a two-story colonial home and we needed a bedroom on the first floor with a fully accessible bath, including a roll-in shower. Carpeting on the floor had to be replaced with plank, rubberized flooring. And a ramp was needed for Ed to enter his home.
T.J. Whipple construction of Erie came in and created a bath on the first floor that is accessible, complete with roll-in shower. Men from the Wesley church came and picked up carpet and laid planking. What an amazing job they did! Trustees came and repaired the wall.
Ramps of Hope Director Charles Stehlik, Rev. Deb Rogosky, Debbie Hills and Erie-Meadville District Superintendent Dennis Swineford
And Ramps of Hope, a ministry in the Erie-Meadville District arrived and in two hours installed a ramp to the parsonage for complete and safe accessibility.
Charles Stehlik is the new director of Ramps of Hope; Debbie Hills, its founder, recently retired. Ramps of Hope has installed over 600 ramps thus far. They not only install them; they inspect them annually for safety and wear.
What a worth-while ministry to those who find themselves in need of accessibility!
If you are in the Erie-Meadville District, Ramps of Hope can use volunteers to help with installation, as well as donations of money for materials to help those with mobility issues.
I am one very grateful pastor to this ministry.
Original source can be found here.
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