Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Sunday, September 07, 2008
‘Tourists’ help renovate synod building
Florida residents Gary and Bonnie Neuman seldom talk about their volunteer efforts as a ministry, but the couple surely has been a blessing this summer for the La Crosse Area Synod’s building renovation work.
“We’re tourists. People think that we are here doing great things. Actually, we are tourists, we need a place to stay while we tour the area,” said Gary, who since early July helped out daily with everything from demolition to framing to hanging doors in the building adjacent to the synod’s offices that soon will house Lutheran Social Services.
The Neumans, who left
La Crosse to go back to Florida on Monday, were in town through the ELCA’s Mission Builders program, which offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to different places to help with church building projects. In exchange for their work, volunteers receive nominal pay and free parking for their campers and recreational vehicles.
“It gets us out of Florida for four or five months,” said Gary, who likes to downplay the work the couple has done since 2000 through Mission Builders and other volunteer programs.
“We help somebody out and let somebody else pay our rent,” he said. While Gary worked on the renovation of the LSS offices, Bonnie volunteered in
the synod office, helping with mailings and other office chores.
The La Crosse project is unusual in that the Neumans were alone and working without pay, rather than as part of a team as is customary for volunteer building projects. The usual team includes from five to a dozen or so volunteers, with the campers sharing meals, devotions and sight-seeing experiences as well as construction work.
Church members do their part by helping with the construction and also usually provide some meals and worship experiences for the building team members.
Although not part of a larger team, the Neumans had plenty of contact with synod volunteers who also have donated countless hours this summer to making the LSS offices ready for occupancy later this year.
“I like to think I do everything other people either can’t or don’t want to do,” Gary said of his varied duties in La Crosse.
The Rev. Lanny Westphal, assistant to Bishop April Ulring Larson, said the Neumans helped out the synod in many ways.
“They are humble and hard-working,” Westphal said, adding that the two have furnished all the photos of the construction project for the synod’s Web site (www.lacrosseareasynod.org/upcoming/BldgLSSPix.pdf).
The couple, who attend St. Phillip’s Lutheran Church in Mount Dora, Fla., when they are at home, worshiped several Sundays with members of Bethel Lutheran Church on La Crosse’s North Side and also attended services at St. Paul’s Lutheran on the South Side.
“We’ve gotten to know some of the people at Judd’s church, so it’s nice,” Bonnie said of Bethel, which is led by Pastor Judd Larson.
While reluctant to talk about ministry, the Neumans said they enjoy volunteer mission building because it provides them with something meaningful to do as well as opportunities to travel and meet new people.
“I tell people, the pay isn’t great here, but the rewards are coming,” Gary said.
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.