Local Minister Leaders Locked Up!

Monday, October 8, 2012

 For Immediate Release: Area Ministry Leader's Locked Up!

Organization: Alabama Rural Ministry

Local church pastors and ministry leaders are uniting together in a "No more Shacks Campaign" with Alabama Rural Ministry (ARM). Lisa Pierce, director of ARM will live in a make shift shack for up to eight days. Other ministry leaders will commit to 24 hours in another "shack" next to Lisa's. The goal is to raise awareness about poverty housing in our local area and Alabama, provide efforts for people to volunteer to help repair homes, and to raise $50K which helps ARM repair these homes. The need is great as there are over 102 families who have called in requesting help in our local area.

The “shacks” will be located in front of the AU Wesley Foundation along Gay Street (across from Tiger Rags) beginning Thursday October 25th.  Lisa and others will have information about poverty in Alabama and specifically Lee and Macon Counties. This is a children’s event as well. Kids who give a $5 donation or more will receive a paint brush and be able to “paint” part of the box as a way to connect them with home repair and brighten the box. They then get to keep the brush. Other information will be available about tangible ways to volunteer and help families in our community. Rain or shine, we will be there!

Who else is staying in the shack? Monday Oct. 29th is Steve Bass, youth director at Trinity UMC, Tuesday is Rusty Hutson and Josh Agerton from Cornerstone Church, and Wednesday is George Mathison and Charles Cummings from Auburn UMC. We are excited about Mrs. Jennifer Chambliss, a local attorney and Mr. Mike Martin a local banker  also committing 24 hours during the weekend. We hope our community will come see them and make a donation or pledge towards our $50,000 goal!

ARM is a 501(c)3 faith based organization that serves families through home repair and children’s ministry. Each year we are able to repair 30-40 homes for families in our community. Most of the work includes roof repair, floor repair, and building handicap accessible features. The families served tend to be elderly, have a disability, or are single-parent units. Volunteers complete 95% of all the repairs. All donations are tax deductible.

ARM will also be sponsoring lunch seminars with other organizations who will lead short sessions about poverty or other aspects of families in our community. These groups include Alabama Poverty Project, AU Rural Studio, Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization (HERO), I Am My Brother's Keeper, the AU Liberal Arts Department, and Mrs. Emily Stutzman leading a seminar on "When the Oppressed Become the Oppressors". These will be held on campus beginning Monday Oct. 29th and running through Friday November 2.

This is the 4th time Lisa has stayed in the box but the fifth year we have sponsored this event.

For more information about The Shack or the workshops, see our web site www.arm-al.org, email lisa@arm-al.org, or call (334) 501-4276