Church Wheelchair Ministry Celebrates Significant Milestone

January 18, 2023253 views0

Church Wheelchair Ministry Celebrates Significant Milestone

2023-01-18T11:47:55+01:00

By Church News

The Reidland United Methodist Men Ramp Ministry, based in Paducah, Kentucky is celebrating the completion of the construction of its 1,000th wheelchair ramp.The ministry is a group of men who have been building handicap-accessible ramps for local families in need for 27 years.According to their release about the event, the ministry hasn’t missed a week of ramp building in the past 18 months, even devising special building techniques to keep volunteers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.The Reidland United Methodist Men & Friends wheelchair ministry has evolved over time, the release explains, becoming a multi-denominational effort with assistance from local Roman Catholic, Baptist, and Independent congregations.Additionally, their ministry has inspired other groups to take up the cause, including the Marshall County Ramp Builders and Walnut Grove Church of Christ Ramp Builders.The Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference said the groups have worked together, sometimes even coordinating their funding to be sure they’re making the biggest impact they can.Joe Burkhead, the head of the ramp-building ministry said, “Our UMM group did a lot of help projects for our older church members, our then-President Bill Thistlewood fielded a request from a community asking if we could build a handicap ramp for a person in need. Billy came to me and asked if I would take charge of that request, which I gladly did.”Burkhead further explained, “We completed 60 this past year, more than I’d prefer asking our guys to do, but we’ve been swamped with requests the past year-plus, and until recently have been running three to four months behind.“We had an extended period of low numbers about three or four years ago, and I was personally really struggling to keep the ministry going. God answered some prayers, and suddenly we were up to a very solid crew again.”He said, noting that people from outside Reidland UMC are now part of the ministry. “Our core group now includes a Roman Catholic, two Baptists, and an Independent, and we have at least three other part-timers who are not members of our church.”ALSO READ Christian School Teacher Welcomes New Barbie Dolls With Hearing Aids