The pastor of St. Peters True Holiness Church in DeKalb County prayed that God would send an someone to fix a leaking roof, lights that didn’t work and plumbing problems.
God sent him Rex Michel.
The first thing the Rev. Donald Sawyer said to Michel, whom he had never met, was “thank you. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Michel, a towering 6’4”- man with a slow Louisiana drawl, had been an angel of sorts to other metro Atlantans in need.
He repairs bicycles for children at Christmas. He will hear about someone who needs a home repair, roof fixed or ramp built. Next thing they know, Michel is at the door offering to help and not charging them a dime.
Sawyer was told by his parents, who live in the neighborhood, that a stranger had stopped by and wanted to contact the pastor of the small, 25-member church. The man, they said, told them that during several trips past the church he had noticed that it looked like it needed repairs.
“We had a great conversation and prayer,” Sawyer said. ” The next thing I knew I was giving him the key to the church. It was an absolute blessing.”
For his good deeds, Michel was selected as an AJC Holiday Hero.
Michel, 64, is clearly uncomfortable with the attention. He doesn’t ask for thanks. He won’t charge for the work and he makes sure that members of St. James United Methodist Church and others get credit for their work.
“It seems like the right thing to do,” said Michel, who’s been married more than four decades to his wife Diane. “Opportunities present themselves and you think ‘look, do I really want to get involved’ or “it will be really cool to help people’. It’s not a chore at all. I enjoy the heck out of it.”
The desire to help has far outweighed doing nothing. Some people he’s offered to help are at first suspicious. Who is this guy who will work for free?
“You don’t make it a lifelong project,” said Michel. “If somebody needs help you get in there, get them to where they need to be and then you move on.”
Michel moved to metro Atlanta in the early 1970s and worked for several years in the banking business. Later, he struck out on his own, starting a real estate development and construction company.
He’s always loved working with his hands, building an airplane and an electric chair. The airplane didn’t fly very well, doing a quick header off the garage roof. He got the idea to build an electric chair after watching a movie. He used a train transformer, which didn’t provide enough juice to “get fried, you were just going to get tingly.”
Michel’s work has slowed down recently as he gets treatment for cancer, which he calls a “bump in the road. I’m making progress.” He plans to finish the church project in a few months.
Sawyer, the pastor, said the church wants to hold a dinner for Michel and his friends, who helped with the repairs, but Michel, who says he’s halfway finished with repairs, told him not worry.
“That’s a very humble person,” Sawyer said. “He does not want to be in the spotlight. He did it because he has the unconditional love of God and he just wants to help. He is like a true angel.”
Michel’s wife, Diane, whom he met in college, sometimes tags along. “So many of the people he’s met has enriched our lives so much.”
