Redeemer’s Care and Repair volunteers met on Saturday, January 12 to organize for the coming year.  10 volunteers participated in the meeting.  Mike Aubrey and Paul Pines were elected as captains.  Dave Ghormley will assist them as coordinator, helping to match volunteers to projects. The captains are now ready to begin accepting project requests.
 
Care and Repair is intended to help Redeemer members with simple but essential home repair and maintenance tasks they are unable to do themselves.  Potential projects would include minor carpentry, plumbing, and electrical repairs and yard maintenance. Generally, projects would be one-time or short-term in nature.  For example, lawn mowing for a few weeks while a member is recuperating from illness or injury would be a possible project.  However, a member regularly requiring season-long lawn care probably needs to hire a lawn maintenance service.  Care and Repair will not engage in any project requiring a building permit.  Snow removal is not on the acceptable project list. 
 
Any member can request assistance by filling out and signing a Project Record form available from either of the captains or at the church office.  A family member or other  Redeemer member can initiate a Project Record form on behalf of a member needing       assistance.  However the member owning the property will have to sign the form.  One of the captains will evaluate the project and decide whether or not it will be accepted taking into consideration complexity and safety as well as availability of volunteers with appropriate skill levels.  (The captains will maintain referral lists of Redeemer members who are professional contractors and service providers for who may be able to provide assistance for projects which are not appropriate for volunteers.)
 
The Care and Repair volunteers want Redeemer members to know:

• We are looking for more volunteers and we would welcome and encourage women to volunteer (a volunteer needs to be age 18 or older).
• Any Redeemer member can request assistance; our services are not limited to older  members.
• We will not accept payment for our work (although we would expect members to pay for materials needed for a project).  We would encourage members we assist to “pay it forward” by using their time and talents to help someone else.  If a member receiving assistance wants to make a cash gift we would suggest a contribution to Redeemer designated for Habitat for Humanity.
• It is OK to offer coffee, etc. to volunteers (normally we will work in teams).  However, members should be aware that coffee can induce talkativeness on the part of some volunteers.
• We offer our services in Jesus’ name and to His glory.