Ten years ago, Harold and Patsy Simcox spent part of their Thanksgiving helping member Rebecca Reid get the lights back in half of her house.

Four hundred and twenty two volunteers and 2,570 projects later, the Nehemiah’s Few handyman ministry has shared the light and love of Christ in Kernersville and beyond.

At the 10 a.m. worship service Dec. 1, Pastor Rob Decker marked the ministry’s 10th anniversary with a $1,500 gift to further its work and a personal gift for Simcox.

“The 10 years of serving our Lord has brought blessing beyond anything I could have imagined,” Simcox said. “I still get excited when a call comes with a new ministry opportunity. The fellowship with so many has been great. We have had so many worship experiences as hearts have been brightened and lives moved.”

Pastor Barry Washington leads one of the many nonprofits touched by Nehemiah’s Few and the heart of its volunteers.

Washington’s Whole Man Ministries Inc. is restoring five brick row homes on Cameron Avenue in Winston-Salem’s Southeastern Ward for homeless veterans and others with critical housing needs.

When the work is done in June 2014, the $500,000 project will add 10 new apartments.

“We are grateful to Triad Baptist Church for partnering with us through your ministry of Nehemiah’s Few,” said Washington, whose ministry also includes a non-denominational church, clothing closet, food pantry, food pantry, elderly ministry, prison ministry, youth ministry, homeless ministry, and community center. “Harold came on board in the very beginning of this project. He met with us several times prior to our acquiring the property. He and his team have participated several days already.

“We are excited about this project and look forward to handing the keys to a homeless veteran in the coming months,” Washington added. “Triad Baptist has been very supportive through the volunteers who have put in sweat equity and hard work. You are making a difference in the community, a church that reaches beyond the walls. Thank you for your partnership.”

A record year

In its anniversary year, Nehemiah’s Few has already completed a record number of jobs in 2013: 360.

That work not only includes projects in the Triad but multi-day work trips to Camp Living Water in Bryson City, N.C., and the Myrtle Beach Christian Retreat Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

At Camp Living Water, volunteers completed most of electrical wiring and hookups for a new dining hall while two different trips to Myrtle Beach involved replacing the roof on a multi-unit cottage, installing a sidewalk, digging the footings and framing new campus dorm rooms, cutting out doors, expanding a garage and replacing a deck.

Don Sharp, who joined Triad on Oct. 27, is one of the newest members on the Nehemiah’s Few crew. During an assimilation team visit, Simcox learned Sharp had served for years on the relief team of the N.C. Baptist Men and told him about the ministry.

Retired from a local phone company, Sharp volunteers a couple of days a week for Nehemiah’s Few, installing roofing, removing sheetrock, building ramps, and other work.

“It's satisfying to know you're helping someone who didn't have the resources to do it themselves,” Sharp said, “whether that’s helping build a ramp or repair a bathroom.”

“All you've got to do is come out one time with us and see the impact and you’ll be back.”