Retirement
by Bill Graves
December 31st 2008 marked the last day in a career of almost 30 years with the same company. Eli Lilly and Company, an organization that gave my family and I the opportunity to do things I could have only dreamed of doing having grown up on a farming and cattle operation in Western Kansas. The path post retirement however was one I had chosen almost 18 years ago. The future for my wife Becky and I was not going to be a second career in corporate America, not golf or getting involved in over 55 community activities; it needed to be for us, to pay it forward. In 1990 I was working long hours in a pharmaceutical new product planning role, which often involved travel. I did not think I had time for leisure activities and I was not very involved in organized religion. Early that spring, I went to do a yard project and could not find many of my yard tools . My wife Becky informed me that a pastor serving a Lutheran Mission Start up church had borrowed them to use in clearing part of the acreage for a new church to be constructed in the Geist area of metropolitan Indianapolis. I was intrigued to learn more as to how I might be able to do something on weekends as well as being interested in getting back my wheelbarrow and other tools.
I decided to visit the new Servants of Christ church site on Oaklandon Road on the NE side of Indianapolis and see what was going on. A temporary arrangement had been made with local city officials to allow 7 RV’s to temporarily move into place on the job site. The people came from 6 states, and from all walks of life. They called themselves Mission Builders and were there to oversee and assist in all aspects of building a place of worship. Initially overseeing the utilities, plumbing, and foundation going in. Within days they started framing the building, working with sub contractors to do the remaining HVAC, plumbing and electrical installation. I was humbled and fortunate to find many dedicated Christians,who had chosen to come to our community willing to work for minimum wage, in all types of weather, for a common goal; giving a new start up congregation a place to worship. Over the course of six months the sanctuary narthex and a few additional rooms were completed. Along the way doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses, teachers, salesmen, small business owners, everyone was welcome to work alongside the Mission Builders building a structure that would ultimately serve others. Many other organizations in the community….Boy scouts, girl scouts, Pioneers, would gather there and it would also serve as a voting location. Mission Builders eventually came back two more times to build a fellowship hall and a preschool.
It turns out that Mission Builders was formed 30 years ago by the pastor of that church and others in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Their vision was to help congregations, camps, and social ministries build their own facilities at substantial cost savings, but also to get people more involved in community outreach, giving back, and sharing with others how they may have been able to help others in their own communities back home. Today Mission Builders have constructed almost 300 structures for almost 200 organizations in the US and Caribbean, structures ranging from 1,000sq ft to 26,000 sq ft. Nine of ten Mission Builders own an RV, but the organization works hard to find local lodging if needed by an individual wanting to help out. Our crews include men and women, and we are now open to non- denominational membership and will, if asked, consider building for the following Full Communion Partners of the ELCA.
Back to retirement, how has that gone over the last eight years? Mission Builders has given my wife and I a gift that we will never be able to repay. We have been allowed to work on 16 projects around the country in nine states. We have been blessed to meet many other people mutually interested in working side by side with others….to help build Structures, Community, and Faith. Along the way we have driven around 70,000 miles, and have still found time to allow sightseeing in 26 states. We have met some really great Christians, people of faith who are interested in helping others. We have met people we now vacation with, people that will be lifelong friends.
My wife Becky has been as involved as myself by working as part of the crew learning to use all kinds of new tools. She has driven equipment, laid out wall units, and put up siding. On crews that do not require extra hands she becomes involved in the church she serves by quilting or crafting with congregants. In some communities other Mission Builder wives have become involved at nursing homes and food pantries. When she has free time she walks our dog, and helps to prepare snacks and meals for the crew and volunteers. On projects where I have been the manager, she has run errands to the lumber yard and other places collecting items that have helped keep the project moving forward. Her support of the other ladies keeps her connected, making new friendships and sharing the experiences of living on the road in an RV. She loves the new people she has been able to meet, the recipes they have shared and when home those meals remind her of the time she was able to spend in other communities across the country. She says her life has been more meaningful and fulfilled because of Mission Builders.
Every spring I start getting the itch to get ready to leave home to work on the next project. Most projects start in May and are completed before Thanksgiving. Mission Builders today welcome any person of faith that is capable of doing the at times strenuous work. People are welcome to work for a period as short as a few hours, days, or a week (many people/ church groups take a week of vacation and take a Mission Trip to one of our job sites to get involved), but most work for a minimum of a month or longer. Our experienced project managers as well as fellow Mission Builders will help volunteers to learn how to build, as well as be productive at each job site.
The organization exists off of donations, and a small fee charged per square foot of construction to the congregation and or camp for our services. We as an organization need more people who are interested in giving back. More individuals, who have time, have an interest in learning new skills, people who are interested in meeting new people, and people who have a desire for “new” in their lives.
Does this sound like something like you would be interested in learning more about, feel free to check out our web site…. http://www.elcamissionbuilders.org/
Blessings to all of you in your retirement as well as that time of retirement planning, I pray that as part of your remaining active time you share your God given gifts with others.
Bill Graves
I decided to visit the new Servants of Christ church site on Oaklandon Road on the NE side of Indianapolis and see what was going on. A temporary arrangement had been made with local city officials to allow 7 RV’s to temporarily move into place on the job site. The people came from 6 states, and from all walks of life. They called themselves Mission Builders and were there to oversee and assist in all aspects of building a place of worship. Initially overseeing the utilities, plumbing, and foundation going in. Within days they started framing the building, working with sub contractors to do the remaining HVAC, plumbing and electrical installation. I was humbled and fortunate to find many dedicated Christians,who had chosen to come to our community willing to work for minimum wage, in all types of weather, for a common goal; giving a new start up congregation a place to worship. Over the course of six months the sanctuary narthex and a few additional rooms were completed. Along the way doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses, teachers, salesmen, small business owners, everyone was welcome to work alongside the Mission Builders building a structure that would ultimately serve others. Many other organizations in the community….Boy scouts, girl scouts, Pioneers, would gather there and it would also serve as a voting location. Mission Builders eventually came back two more times to build a fellowship hall and a preschool.
It turns out that Mission Builders was formed 30 years ago by the pastor of that church and others in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Their vision was to help congregations, camps, and social ministries build their own facilities at substantial cost savings, but also to get people more involved in community outreach, giving back, and sharing with others how they may have been able to help others in their own communities back home. Today Mission Builders have constructed almost 300 structures for almost 200 organizations in the US and Caribbean, structures ranging from 1,000sq ft to 26,000 sq ft. Nine of ten Mission Builders own an RV, but the organization works hard to find local lodging if needed by an individual wanting to help out. Our crews include men and women, and we are now open to non- denominational membership and will, if asked, consider building for the following Full Communion Partners of the ELCA.
Back to retirement, how has that gone over the last eight years? Mission Builders has given my wife and I a gift that we will never be able to repay. We have been allowed to work on 16 projects around the country in nine states. We have been blessed to meet many other people mutually interested in working side by side with others….to help build Structures, Community, and Faith. Along the way we have driven around 70,000 miles, and have still found time to allow sightseeing in 26 states. We have met some really great Christians, people of faith who are interested in helping others. We have met people we now vacation with, people that will be lifelong friends.
My wife Becky has been as involved as myself by working as part of the crew learning to use all kinds of new tools. She has driven equipment, laid out wall units, and put up siding. On crews that do not require extra hands she becomes involved in the church she serves by quilting or crafting with congregants. In some communities other Mission Builder wives have become involved at nursing homes and food pantries. When she has free time she walks our dog, and helps to prepare snacks and meals for the crew and volunteers. On projects where I have been the manager, she has run errands to the lumber yard and other places collecting items that have helped keep the project moving forward. Her support of the other ladies keeps her connected, making new friendships and sharing the experiences of living on the road in an RV. She loves the new people she has been able to meet, the recipes they have shared and when home those meals remind her of the time she was able to spend in other communities across the country. She says her life has been more meaningful and fulfilled because of Mission Builders.
Every spring I start getting the itch to get ready to leave home to work on the next project. Most projects start in May and are completed before Thanksgiving. Mission Builders today welcome any person of faith that is capable of doing the at times strenuous work. People are welcome to work for a period as short as a few hours, days, or a week (many people/ church groups take a week of vacation and take a Mission Trip to one of our job sites to get involved), but most work for a minimum of a month or longer. Our experienced project managers as well as fellow Mission Builders will help volunteers to learn how to build, as well as be productive at each job site.
The organization exists off of donations, and a small fee charged per square foot of construction to the congregation and or camp for our services. We as an organization need more people who are interested in giving back. More individuals, who have time, have an interest in learning new skills, people who are interested in meeting new people, and people who have a desire for “new” in their lives.
Does this sound like something like you would be interested in learning more about, feel free to check out our web site…. http://www.elcamissionbuilders.org/
Blessings to all of you in your retirement as well as that time of retirement planning, I pray that as part of your remaining active time you share your God given gifts with others.
Bill Graves
The Spirit of a Mission Builder
How would YOU like to spend a summer doing something rewarding and worthwhile? Does coming home feeling like you accomplished a goal and made positive changes in the lives of others urge you to volunteer or even work? Do you want to travel and meet new people who value your beliefs and skills, but mostly have fun and laugh?
Personally, this is how my last 8 years have been spent along with my husband during the warmer months of the years! We joined Mission Builders to make our lives more rewarding and meaningful during our change of direction years. Better known as retirement.
In 2009 Bill and I retired from the hectic life of working in the pharmaceutical industry to take on the adventure of travel and mission work. Our working years were a blessing and thriving time but 30 years was enough and we wanted to use those blessings to do some good. During these 30 years we belonged to churches that strengthened and renewed our commitment to our faith in Jesus. We also helped in many construction and fixer upper projects when possible. What better way to give back than to travel to churches to share our faith journey and skills with congregations in need.
In need of what you might be thinking. Many congregations want to add on or build a new addition or a new sanctuary to further their message of Christ in a community. With rising construction costs it is difficult for congregations to attain a building dream or goal. Enter Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America Mission Builders! They can help cut the costs of a building by 30 percent with Mission Builder crews and volunteers from the church.
Mission Builders is made up of people who are retired and have time to come to your faith organization to build a facility to meet your needs to serve Christ. We live in our recreational vehicles as we help a church build. Usually around 3-5 months at a time. While on site we work for the supporting congregation to build your structure. After a foundation is laid, Mission Builders put up your walls and building. During this process we become friends with other crew members and the volunteers from the congregation who help put up the structure. So when you make friends you laugh and have fun working also learning you have much in common with the people who have joined the project as well. And there is time for seeing the area we serve like sightseeing or eating at congregation members homes. Look out for all kinds of delicious foods and new recipes!
The crews are made up of people from all walks of life who have been in other careers, such as businessmen, farmers, bankers, engineers or retired from the construction industry in some capacity. Crews start their day in prayer and breaks together in the morning and afternoon. Spouses of the crew can be part of a crew if physically able or help sustain the crew by preparing breaks or meals and becoming interested in activities provided at the church Mission Builders is serving.
Bill and I have traveled to Texas, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, Washington and Montana to help Mission Builders build many different structures. We have made friends and acquaintances that fulfill our lives even today. Joy and happiness enter our lives each project in constructing for other congregations that need a new facility. Coming home fulfilled and enriched is such a blessing.
You the reader might be looking for an adventure and place to make your life richer and widen your horizons. Mission Builders needs crew members to continue our ministry and Bill and I can use more friends.
Check out the Mission Builder website at http://www.elcamissionbuilders.org/
Come along for the adventure and see where your faith journey can go!
Becky Graves
Mission Builder
Personally, this is how my last 8 years have been spent along with my husband during the warmer months of the years! We joined Mission Builders to make our lives more rewarding and meaningful during our change of direction years. Better known as retirement.
In 2009 Bill and I retired from the hectic life of working in the pharmaceutical industry to take on the adventure of travel and mission work. Our working years were a blessing and thriving time but 30 years was enough and we wanted to use those blessings to do some good. During these 30 years we belonged to churches that strengthened and renewed our commitment to our faith in Jesus. We also helped in many construction and fixer upper projects when possible. What better way to give back than to travel to churches to share our faith journey and skills with congregations in need.
In need of what you might be thinking. Many congregations want to add on or build a new addition or a new sanctuary to further their message of Christ in a community. With rising construction costs it is difficult for congregations to attain a building dream or goal. Enter Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America Mission Builders! They can help cut the costs of a building by 30 percent with Mission Builder crews and volunteers from the church.
Mission Builders is made up of people who are retired and have time to come to your faith organization to build a facility to meet your needs to serve Christ. We live in our recreational vehicles as we help a church build. Usually around 3-5 months at a time. While on site we work for the supporting congregation to build your structure. After a foundation is laid, Mission Builders put up your walls and building. During this process we become friends with other crew members and the volunteers from the congregation who help put up the structure. So when you make friends you laugh and have fun working also learning you have much in common with the people who have joined the project as well. And there is time for seeing the area we serve like sightseeing or eating at congregation members homes. Look out for all kinds of delicious foods and new recipes!
The crews are made up of people from all walks of life who have been in other careers, such as businessmen, farmers, bankers, engineers or retired from the construction industry in some capacity. Crews start their day in prayer and breaks together in the morning and afternoon. Spouses of the crew can be part of a crew if physically able or help sustain the crew by preparing breaks or meals and becoming interested in activities provided at the church Mission Builders is serving.
Bill and I have traveled to Texas, Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, Washington and Montana to help Mission Builders build many different structures. We have made friends and acquaintances that fulfill our lives even today. Joy and happiness enter our lives each project in constructing for other congregations that need a new facility. Coming home fulfilled and enriched is such a blessing.
You the reader might be looking for an adventure and place to make your life richer and widen your horizons. Mission Builders needs crew members to continue our ministry and Bill and I can use more friends.
Check out the Mission Builder website at http://www.elcamissionbuilders.org/
Come along for the adventure and see where your faith journey can go!
Becky Graves
Mission Builder
The Real Gift of the Mission Builders
Most members would say the most impressive event at Augustana Lutheran Church (Cumberland, Wisconsin) this summer was constructing a 8,000 sq. ft. addition to our 100 year-old church. We raised the funds, contracted with the “ELCA Mission Builders Organization”, and supplied labor for the project.
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However, I believe the most impressive thing that happened was the wonderful way our church community “grew together” as a cohesive group to manage and support the building project.
I had never heard of the “Mission Builders” and will admit to being skeptical of our ability to partner with them. I was not worried about their well-proven construction management skills. I was worried that a relatively small congregation would not be able to do “our part” in supporting the project.
Well we have done our part, and I am pleased to say that hosting the “Mission Builders” has made us a much stronger church community. How?
I had never heard of the “Mission Builders” and will admit to being skeptical of our ability to partner with them. I was not worried about their well-proven construction management skills. I was worried that a relatively small congregation would not be able to do “our part” in supporting the project.
Well we have done our part, and I am pleased to say that hosting the “Mission Builders” has made us a much stronger church community. How?
A Job for Everyone
First, it takes the entire church working together to support a successful building project. It would have been much easier to raise enough money to have the entire project constructed through a general contractor and completed for us. By taking the responsibility ourselves we quickly learned there were jobs for everyone. From cooks to cleaners to carpenters we met the challenge. There were dozens of social events, dinners, potlucks, and meetings to plan. Members signed up to host dinners for the building crew in their homes and at church. That effort caused us to meet our own members in ways we hadn’t met them before. The need to provide the “social coordination and support” gave us a purpose to meet each other and work together. From the dinners to the potlucks, to the wonderful “Lutheran Hour” following a hard day’s work, it was a success.
Talent Within
Second, we discovered wonderful talent within the church. Probably, like most churches we found members willing to share their expertise and their valuable time for the building project. We discovered carpenters, laborers, insulators, earthmovers, painters, and landscapers within the membership. The building projects gave them a purpose to share their skills and they stepped forward to make it a success.
Leadership
Finally, our church leadership has significantly grown throughout the project. We needed to create special committees and “energize” the ones we had. From the initial efforts to dream and design the project, to fundraising, and finally the construction, we developed a new “continuity of purpose” that was not there before. Accepting the responsibility to be our own “general contractors” caused us to communicate with each other as never before. There were thousands of decisions to make and each one needed to be made with the whole congregation in mind. Our leadership learned to how to work together, delegate responsibility and successfully communicate with us throughout the project.
A New Church Spirit
So far our project has been a wonderful success. The “Mission Builders” did a remarkable job in guiding us through the construction process. Their skill and experience was a vital part of the construction effort. For sure we couldn’t have done it without them. We have a beautiful addition and are in the final stages of construction. But, the most important long-term benefit to our faith community is the rekindled spirit of the membership. Our wonderful “traveling troupe of Mission Builders” helped us create a great building with straight walls, tight windows and a good roof. But, they left us a stronger congregation with more communication, more leadership, more talent, more friends and most of all more pride. That is the real gift of the construction project.
Note: Augustana Lutheran Church is located Cumberland, Wisconsin (Reverend David Halaas). The construction portion of the project began in the spring of 2006 by the “Mission Builders Team” lead by Tom and Katie Gillman.