Hats Off to Love Thy Neighbor: Iron and Dent Counties Missouri and Beyond

In Iron and Dent Counties, Privett and Perry completed another successful week of repairs June 2 - 6, 2024.

Perry is a pastor at First Baptist Church in Viburnum and created Love Thy Neighbor for ten years. Viburnum has a population of 698 and is 27 miles from somewhere. It is a lead mining community and the local enthusiasm and economy rises and falls with the price of lead.

Privett is a school teacher in Salem who coordinates mission efforts at her church. Salem has a population of about 5,000 people. 

Despite small populations, the effort to help elderly, veterans, disabled, and financially challenged residents complete needed home projects at no charge to the homeowner has had tremendous community support.

"I think the lessons we have learned apply to any context and any sized town," said Perry. "We would never be compared to The Extreme Home Makeover TV show. We were more influenced by World Changers — an organization that brings in groups from all over the country to provide the labor."

Perry says one key to success is having a goal that distinguishes them from other types of assistance.

"When you're trying to garner community support, you've got to be able to convince people that what you are doing with their dollars and volunteer hours has a big impact. For us, that meant we were only going to do projects that if those people saved for the rest of their lives, they'd never be able to pay to have done."

Perry says unity among churches has been a good side benefit of the project because different churches have worked together. He has also seen the work help close the generational gap, having kids working with adults and sharing skills.

"What we're doing isn't just about roofs. It's not just about decks. It's not just about wheelchair ramps. It's not just about doing good for somebody else, being a good neighbor, or fulfilling God's command. It's about loving people and doing something for someone they couldn't do for themselves," said Perry.

But success is also in the lives impacted, says Rachel Privett.

"Other aspects of success include the development of community partnerships. In Salem, for example, success has come with a partnership between churches and the community foundation," said Privett. 

Salem City Council member Shawn Bolerjack remembers how his mom and stepfather received support in 2017.

"I witnessed firsthand the profound effect of Love Thy Neighbor in Viburnum in 2017 when my mom and my stepfather received support during a challenging period when my stepfather was fighting cancer. The timely assistance with the roof and the care provided by Love Thy Neighbor was invaluable," said Bolerjack.

In the top photo: “At this house we replaced rafters and placed a new roof over the carport. But the team also fixed her lawn mower and filled her gas tanks, removed some hazard trees from her yard and did brush removal, got her a new screen door, painted her porch and reinforced the rail, and built her a porch swing from leftover material,” said Rachel Privett.

 

“This is a picture from one of this year's projects where the roof was literally so bad you could see the hole in the roof from the road. We had to basically rebuild the rafters before we could put the roof back on. The question was why would we do a project like this? Our answer: if not us then who?” said Perry.

“The two men on scaffolding helped a lady who had recently lost her husband to cancer.  He had been trying to finish up some projects on the property because he knew he wouldn't be around much longer.  He passed away before he could finish, and our crew finished all the projects he had started for her.  They also mowed her overgrown lawn, weeded her garden, painted her porch, power washed her deck furniture, and a crew member came back the rest of the summer to mow her yard for her,” said Rachel Privett.

MORE INFORMATION

Does this article make you interested in taking the Engaged Neighbor pledge? Five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge online at http://engagedneighbor.com.

Contact the blog author, David L. Burton at dburton541@yahoo.com.