Summer Yields the Fruits of Labor
As summer comes to an end, we are amazed at the tremendous amount of work that has been done on the New Song Mission campus! We are very encouraged that so many ministry friends have given of their special talents and time out of a love of God this summer. An overview of campus improvements leaves one astonished at how many things have been accomplished!
Many projects required highly skilled labor, and other projects required only the heart and will to join in. At New Song Mission, there’s always something for everyone to do! Teens and even young children have served in helping the campus reach the level of beauty and progress it displays today.
The types of work shared by volunteer groups, families and individuals included mowing, weeding, trail maintenance, planting of grass seed and overall grounds keeping. As we all know, many of these jobs never really end as plants, shrubs and trees continue to grow. We are so blessed that God provided such a steady stream of volunteers throughout the summer to keep the campus well maintained.
In addition to the grounds keeping, some of the final work was completed on Home B, the second of three homes currently on campus. The interior painting, closet shelving, and the building of children’s lockers put the finishing touches on the home. In the newly developing park, a large play set was erected for the enjoyment of the children. Much work was also accomplished on Home C, including dropped ceiling installed in the laundry room, installation of the front porch and deck, hardwood and vinyl flooring, and so much more!
New Song owes a huge debt of gratitude to the following groups and individuals for their continued support and dedication to the ministry over the summer months.
- Common Ground of Indianapolis
- Community Church of Columbus Youth Group
- Cummins in Columbus (4 groups, approx. 75 people)
- Designscape of Brown County
- Evangelical Community Church of Bloomington
- Folk Builders – Sherwood Oaks Church
- Hands of Hope – Grace Church of Noblesville
- John Werner and a community team from Brown County
- Josh and Rachael Collins Family
- Memorial Baptist Youth Group
- Ogilville UMC
- Owen Valley Christian Church
- Dedicated, hardworking cleaning crews for our Columbus office and campus homes
- A faithful mailing team for the letter that went out in July
As always, we look to the guidance and support of our Construction Manager, Ron Eddins. Ron oversees all of our construction efforts and makes sure that everyone is safe and well cared for while they serve. We were also blessed to have intern Ethan Mathews join our team again for the summer. Ethan played a huge role in recruiting and organizing work groups and was especially engaging with the youth on campus. We offer him our prayers as he studies abroad this fall semester of college.
Special thanks to team leaders Tim Evans, Mike Delaney, Mike Stott and Thomas Yeager for their inspired leadership and guidance to the Cummins work teams.
We hope that the summer of 2014 was a special time for all who came to campus. Karen Snyder from Hands of Hope had this to say, “New Song Mission is a place where you can serve locally on a consistent basis and without having to leave your family. It provides a wonderful opportunity for families and groups to serve together. As the mother of an adopted child, the mission of New Song speaks to my heart. This is a place for children from broken places to heal and be surrounded by hope and love. I count it a privilege to serve with the team to help these children, and my family will serve for many years to come.”
We hope that all who served on campus over the summer share in the feelings of joy and reward through working to create a place of peace and happiness for children to thrive. Karen encapsulated the feelings of all by saying, “We’re all looking forward to an explosion of life at New Song Mission!” Executive Director Bob Schloss added, “We continue to be blessed by God’s provision to continually improve the campus through volunteers for the ultimate benefit of children. Everything that has been accomplished points to God’s hand, and we anxiously await the day when children will enjoy life and come to know Christ in this beautiful setting.”
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)