H15 Ministries takes some huge strides forward in November
Thanks to a crew at The Ohio Floor Company, the floor at H15 Ministries has taken on a real shine. The original hardwood floor makes for a beautiful setting as the building continues to take shape.
Up until now most of the work taking place during renovation of the Hoxworth buildings in Millersburg in preparation to open the new H15 youth ministry operations have been working on the guts of the buildings. That is the necessary work that will make the buildings sturdy, safe and up to code.
However, the month of November saw the building receive a little bit of cosmetic surgery that really helped bring the facility to life. The work in November comes on the heels of the Central Christian art students painting the west wall of the facility, and director Andy Schafer said seeing the building taking shape has been inspirational to everyone involved with the renovation process.
“I thought last month was a great month, but God has given us even more to be excited about this month,” Schafer said.
Before the exciting face-lift projects began, the H15 board and others enjoyed an open house that saw them inviting the public in to view what is taking place and to catch the vision of how H15 Ministries is going to create plenty of opportunities for area youth to enjoy, fellowship and learn.
“We had the chance to make some new friends and show some old ones how things have been going,” Schafer said. “It was a great time, and thank you to all of you that came out.”
The beautification process began with the first thing people will see upon arriving at the center: the front door.
“We got our new exterior doors and windows installed,” Schafer said. “It is so nice to have a regular door to be able to walk in from the alley, and the windows are awesome with how much light they let in.”
The doors and windows were donated by ProVia.
Nov. 14 then became a true red-letter day for H15 Ministries when the building finally passed the state electrical and framing inspections with no problems at all. Schafer said once that was done, volunteers immediately began hanging drywall, and now things are starting to look a lot different.
“Hopefully in another couple of weeks, we’ll actually have a working bathroom,” Schafer said.
Not long after The Ohio Floor Company paid a visit and refinished the main floor with the first two coats of sealer on. Schafer said the local company is set to return to do the final coat when H15 is closer to being ready to open.
“What a difference it makes having those dusty old floors clean and shiny,” Schafer said. “We'll have to cover it up next week after it has cured so it will stay protected while we work, but they are certainly beautiful to look at now.”
While the floors were being worked, volunteers and staff couldn’t work inside, but thanks to Holmesville Electric loaning the ministry its bucket truck, there was still plenty of work to do.
Schafer said they finally got a start on tearing down the old storage building on the east side of the main floor, which is where the courtyard will eventually be.
While Schafer said everyone is extremely excited about getting the ministry operational and providing some wonderful opportunities for area youth to connect and build relationships, they will have to be patient because of the floor. He said the work schedule is going to be in a bit of limbo because of waiting for the floor to finish curing and the holidays.
The tentative volunteer work schedule is Monday, Dec. 11 and 18 from 5-8 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 14 and 21 from 5-8 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Schafer said while there are still plenty of areas that need attention, there are several areas that are currently in the upcoming schedule that will need funded. The biggest immediate need is finding $800 for getting the ceiling sealed up and painted.
“We are ready to do that as soon as the floor is cured enough to get the scaffold back on it,” Schafer said.
He also said one constant throughout this renovation process has been the commitment and support of love shown by the community, which has helped meet each need as it has arisen.
“Over the course of this journey, I have seen the evidence that God is going to provide, but as a human being, I seem incapable of fully grasping that,” Schafer said. “God is patient with me and has been helping me to doubt less and less and trust more and more. However, this was actually the first month since we started the ministry that both my person and the ministry bills were concerning me, so I struggled just a bit.
As usual God let me sweat some but provided everything we needed and gave us a new monthly supporter as well. I could write a book about all the amazing and unexpected ways he has worked. It’s pretty awesome to be on the front line, watching it all.”
There are more expenses on the horizon, so the need remains as H15 Ministries continues to near the time when it will allow the volunteers to reach out into the community and provide a wonderful new place for area teens to gather, fellowship and learn. Every donation that is made to H15 is fully tax-deductible, something area families and businesses might take into consideration as a year-end tax write-off.
“Our monthly expenses are getting easier and easier to cover as new monthly supporters come, but we aren’t quite there yet, so we count on general donations to take up the slack,” Schafer said.
Anyone interested in joining the crew for one of the above work days is invited to help hang or finish drywall. Schafer said they also are about to begin painting and starting trim work soon.
"If you would like to set up a work group to come out, just let me know. I love getting to work with the groups that come. If anyone is feeling God leading to help us out in any of these areas, please let us know,” Schafer said. “As Christmas approaches, always remember the gift that God gave us.”
Schafer can be called at 330-231-7147.