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Pay is lousy, purpose is divine
By MOLLY MOORHEAD NEW PORT RICHEY -- The professional-quality paint job, the rows of evenly spaced, neatly caulked tiles -- just the sheer size of the place -- all belie the truth behind Living Word Church's shining new sanctuary: It was built by a crew of volunteers whose average age is 76. For the past six years, about 25 men have shown up in faded work clothes four days a week at the Rowan Road church. From 8 a.m. to noon, they install wiring, hang drywall, paint walls and do various other forms of hard, manual labor. At 10 a.m., they take a short break to eat doughnuts, drink coffee and pray. Then it's back to the grind. "You kind of get a feel for what volunteers can do," said the Rev. Tim Santinga, who greets the men during their coffee break, then returns to his office and lets them get back to building. The 25,300-square-foot building should be completed by early May, slightly later than the goal of Easter. It will include a 17,000-foot sanctuary and several classrooms. By the time the first service is held in the new hall, Harold Dinham will be back home in Waubaushene, Canada, about 100 miles north of Toronto. "I'm going to miss these guys when I go home," said Dinham, who gave his age as 73 as another man walked past and answered "105." They kid each other, and they work hard. And they come back every day. He and two of the other workers are all from the same part of Canada. They plan to have a reunion in June and watch a video of the church's inaugural service. The idea of going home in a few weeks makes him a little sad. "We have a ball down here. When we go home, it's dullsville," Dinham said. "No matter what your skills are, there's always something you can do," he continued. "I'm not a handy guy." But as a whole, this crew is plenty handy. Bill Nutt, 72, pours concrete. Chuck Kanouse, 81, was a painter for General Motors Corp. Cloyd Smith built his first two houses himself. Smith -- "Smitty" as he's known -- amazes his fellow workers every day. At 86, he's the senior member of the crew. His walk is stiff and arduous, and his body is rail-thin, but Smitty pulls his share of the load. "Whatever they want me to do, I do," he said. "I'm just a handyman." Every morning, Smith rides his 1975 ReBike 707 the half-mile from his home to the church. He frequently rests on a piece of plywood that straddles two sawhorses. But before long he's on his feet again, pushing a wheelbarrow or carrying some tools. The work, Smith says, makes him feel young. "If you have something to do all the time, it keeps you healthy," he said. His fellow workers see that spirit in him every day. They frequently have to pull him down off ladders and keep him from doing too much. But they revere his work ethic. Dinham said he once tried to help Smith as he was carrying a large concrete block. "He looked me square in the eye and he said, 'That is my job. Don't take my job away from me,' " Dinham said. During their coffee break, the men tease each other and crack wise. They boast about who is the oldest among them, and refer to the two men in their 50s as "the kids." They also take prayer requests and pray for the troops in the Middle East. "Thank you for these men ... who are working so diligently," Associate Pastor Mike Daniele said as he led the group in prayer. "Protect the guys as they're out there." Nutt, one of the construction chiefs, said the whole project has encountered few mishaps. A few cut fingers but no real problems. "We just have to say the Lord's with us on it, and we believe it," Nutt said. They also believe in the value of volunteering and of getting their hands dirty every day. "I like the work. It keeps you young," Kanouse said as he made his way down a ladder. "If you sit in a rocking chair, you're going to die."
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