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Thursday, August 23, 2007
Ministry’s closed doors reflect on us all
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Suan Gast/AJC
Mike Clotfelter, a member of Snellville United Methodist Church working on the ramp and deck construction, as the project drawings lay in front. The man to the left with his back to the camera (blue T-shirt with fish on it) is Don Powell, also a volunteer from Snellville UMC.
Irony can be amusing. But not in the tale of the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry.
It’s ironic that a non-profit organization annually providing food, clothes, rent and utility assistance to 9,000 folks has been homeless itself for more than a year.
And it’s ironic that in a county where new houses and stores sprout — seemingly overnight — two modular buildings to be used by the co-op remain unauthorized for business more than 12 months after being put in place.
No, in the case of the co-op, the ironies are frustrating to everyone involved. That list is long. It includes:
Beth Moffat, director of the co-op, who has overseen the organization at two previous locations and through the search for her third.
The Rev. Matt Henning, pastor of Community of Grace church, whose Lutheran congregation is providing the site and much of the volunteer work for the co-op’s new home at 1200 U.S. 78 in Grayson.
Schools that collect canned goods for the co-op and turn to it when students’ families need help.
Volunteers, weary of waiting, who have moved on.
Snellville area churches who supported the co-op and referred people for its services, but have begun questioning the delays as they try to help those who show up on church doorsteps seeking assistance.
And the families and individuals in need, who have had to brave those doorsteps or head to other food banks in the county.
The co-op’s past year and a half has been riddled with misunderstandings, miscommunication, starts, stops, backtracking and red tape. There have been problems involving county permits and inspections. There have been problems with the installation of footings for the modular buildings. Building plans have been lost more than once. A few churches have withdrawn financial support.
The blame has been batted about, with few left untouched.
One person, acting anonymously, sent a letter to area churches, raising questions about the ethics, financial stewardship and decision-making of the co-op’s management.
Some think the city of Snellville and local churches should have done more to help the co-op during its search for a new home. Some point to mistakes and delays by professionals and companies. Others say the county government has been unclear, and at times unreasonable, about what was required to get the new site in order. The county says it has tried to work with those involved in the project, but standards must be met.
The list goes on.
A moment of personal disclosure here: My family occasionally volunteered at the co-op, sorting canned goods and such. I met the former director, Don Ashworth, and I knew Moffat through church activities before she joined the organization.
When I first visited the co-op, it was in a building owned by and located behind Snellville First Baptist. From there, it moved to a small shopping center on U.S. 78, in front of Snellville City Hall. That location, owned by Snellville United Methodist Church, was transferred to city ownership as part of a property swap, and the shopping center was marked to be torn down. The co-op was required to move out last summer. When other options fell through, Community of Grace offered a location, and the co-op arranged for the placement and rental of modular units on the site. That’s when the permtting difficulties began.
Snellville Mayor Jerry Oberholtzer said city officials felt bad that they couldn’t find another location for the co-op. But the city cannot provide free space to an organization, and other suitable sites have been hard to come by, he said.
I stopped by the new co-op site more than once this past week and found volunteers sweating in the brutal heat to build a required deck and handicapped ramp and fill in with dirt under the buildings.
I talked to Moffat and the Rev. Henning. I’ve also talked to the provider of the modular buildings, to the engineering firm, to county officials, churches and individuals.
Everyone acknowledged that mistakes have been made. A few owned up to making one or two of them themselves.
Most said they support the mission of the co-op.
Yet the doors are still closed.
I understand the need for strict standards for buildings used by the public. But I can also imagine the difficulty of navigating building and development procedures when you are not familiar with the process — or even if you are. If there are also personality or political or contract difficulties, well … .
Moffat and the Rev. Henning say they just want to get the co-op open and start serving people again.
“We built this whole [Community of Grace] campus in eight months from groundbreaking to move-in.” the Rev. Henning said, “I’ve opened other churches. But what we’ve been through in this process has been beyond comprehension.”
There have been “saints” who have worked passionately along the way, they said. But there have also been critics.
“I can’t tell you I’ve done everything right,” Moffat said. “I’m sure I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve done everything they asked me to do.”
The criticism, particularly the anonymous letter, has been “hurtful,” she said.
“I don’t disagree with people asking questions,” she said. “But to say I didn’t look hard enough for a new home, or to assume we’ve done nothing or are pocketing resources or are not good stewards — that was hard.”
Snellville City Councilman Warren Auld said he supports the co-op “unequivocally, as an individual and as a council member. “I wish it were still inside the city.” As a private attorney, Auld has recently provided free legal guidance to the organization.
“They are doing what the Gospel says you are supposed to do — feed the poor,” he said.
“We’ve got cold weather coming up, kids are back in school.” Auld said. “I don’t know how this story will unravel. My real concern is that the co-op can open back up and serve those in need.”
This week, work was continuing and county officials were visiting the site to provide inspections and guidance on what is still required. Leaders are hoping the doors can reopen in a matter of weeks, but they are scared to promise. They’ve been wrong before.
They also are hoping that once the co-op reopens, relationships with churches and others can be rebuilt.
I can’t sit in judgment of what has happened. But — excepting those who have been toiling to make it right — we all are to blame.
This reflects poorly on our community. It reflects poorly on the governments, the churches, the businesses and the citizens.
A non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to help those in need has been allowed to shut its doors and wallow in homelessness and red tape for more than a year.
Regardless of the reasons, that’s wrong.
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