Nail guns, ladders and a love for others are just a few of the tools TBM Church Builders volunteers needed to transform a gutted washeteria into an education center for pregnant women and new parents across Northeast Texas.
Twelve volunteers strapped on their toolbelts Feb. 14 to tackle the weeklong project benefiting the Raffa Clinic, a ministry partner of First Baptist Church in Greenville. The Hunt County-based ministry provides compassionate medical care and education during pregnancy and early parenting for clients in 20 different Northeast Texas counties. Last year alone, the clinic added over 750 new clients.
TBM volunteers framed out interior walls and ran electrical lines in an empty building that once housed a washeteria. The facility will become an education space for the Raffa Clinic, where they will provide free services such as Christian counseling, fatherhood classes and childcare for visiting clients.
“We are beside ourselves with the work TBM has done and how quickly it’s gone,” Raffa Clinic Executive Director Threesa Sadler said. “We have to fund locally that whole project. Any money that we can save on not having to spend on the building can go straight into programs. We can use it to serve.”
Sadler estimates TBM Church Builders saved the ministry at least $30,000 in labor costs.
“You’ll never find a harder worker than a volunteer,” said TBM volunteer Ray Cuncancic. “We’re not doing it for the money. It’s our passion.”
While TBM Church Builders volunteers serve with light-hearted attitudes and jokes galore, they also provide professional work with quality outcomes and find a unique joy in simply knowing their contributions will impact a greater cause.
“This is the most dedicated, committed group of people,” said TBM Builders Coordinator Wayne Pritchard. “They’re here simply because they love the Lord and want to help others.”