“For we are laborers together with God.”—1 Corinthians 3:9
Many wonder how these men, still clad in working
clothes and tired from the long day, find the time.
But they do find it.
Members of the Rowan and Davie County Deacons Union,
first started in 1989, recently celebrated their 12th year.
They help feed, clothe and shelter needy individuals
who come to them for help. They also cook and do laundry at Rowan Helping
Ministries’ overnight shelter once a month.
Their objective: Make Rowan and Davie counties
better places to live.
Deacon Oliver Jones, vice president and secretary of
the union, explains that the Deacons Union is a non-profit group. In other
words, “everyone volunteers,” he explained.
And only two things limit what they can do for
others: money and people.
They pay for all their activities with monthly dues
and fund-raisers, such as fish fries, candy sales, fellowships and revivals.
Their biggest fund-raiser, however, is the annual
Rainbow Tea, a banquet always held on the second Sunday in December. It started
at local churches but it has grown so much that the group moved it to the
Salisbury Civic Center three years ago.
The tea draws widespread support in the community
from leaders such as Salisbury City Manager David Treme and Mayor Pro Tem Paul
Woodson.
So far this year, the union has helped 41 people,
compared to the 66 that they helped all of last year.
They help with food, clothing, medical expenses and
utility bills, as well as other things that come up.
“This is very important,” said Reginald Weeks,
president of the Deacons Union. “We need men to come in willing to give. We
are out to help others.”
Their members are all deacons at their churches. The
18 current members represent 12 churches: Shady Grove Baptist (Bear Poplar),
Fairfield Baptist, Antioch Baptist, Dorsett Chapel United Church of Christ, New
Bethel Baptist, Locke Street Church of God, Tower of Power Holiness, Henderson
Grove Baptist, Macedonia Baptist, New Zion Baptist, Hall’s Chapel P. Baptist,
and United Baptist.
“I enjoy what we are doing,” said James Forney,
another member. “You can’t go wrong helping the needy.
“... We have limitations, though,” he said.
“You would be amazed by how many people we come in
contact with who are in need,” said member Alvin Adams.
They don’t have enough men to help everyone, even
though that is what they would like to do.
“We organize to reach out to people,” Adams
said. “Nobody in this unit receives any pay.”
If a person needs help from the Deacons Union, there
are several things that they have to do.
The union doesn’t give them the money. They make a
check directly to the place where the bill is from.
If the client needs food, the union gives them
certificates to buy groceries at Aldi.
They have an investigation committee that makes sure
that potential clients have no other means to get the money.
Then, the Union helps them with half of the total
due. The client comes up with the other half.
In some cases, they have helped with the total
amount.
At Christmas, they give food bags to the elderly a
few days before Christmas, to spread the good cheer.
They also help people get jobs.
Detective Mike Dummett of the Salisbury Police
Department knows just what kind of help they bring. The Deacons Union wrote him
a referral letter to get a job with the department.
Every year, the union donates money to the Salisbury
Post’s Christmas Happiness Fund in memory of their deceased deacons. There are
nine on the list: Clinzo Curry, Feamster Harvey, Richard Washington, Robert
Steele, B.T. Williams, Robert Cuthrell, Fletcher Jones, Russell Davis and Robert
Craige.
The Deacons Union also considers the Rev. Paul Jones
Sr., pastor of New Zion Baptist Church, as their mentor.
And they show special thanks to one other group:
“Our wives are our support,” Oliver Jones said.
“They have been the backbones. They have stood by us.”
In the end, members of the group believe in an old
saying:
By helping others, they help themselves.
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