By Rev. Debra Rogosky, pastor
Wesley United Methodist Church, Erie, PA
When life takes a turn and accessibility becomes necessary who do you call? If you are part of the Erie-Meadville District, you call Ramps of Hope, part of All God’s Children’s Ministries. I know, I called them.
When my spouse, Ed, was rendered a paraplegic this June, I had many difficult decisions to make and there were many things I had to learn. As a United Methodist pastor, I asked the church I serve, Wesley in Erie, to renovate the parsonage.
The parsonage is a two-story colonial home and we needed a bedroom on the first floor with a fully accessible bath, including a roll-in shower. Carpeting on the floor had to be replaced with plank, rubberized flooring. And a ramp was needed for Ed to enter his home.
T.J. Whipple construction of Erie came in and created a bath on the first floor that is accessible, complete with roll-in shower. Men from the Wesley church came and picked up carpet and laid planking. What an amazing job they did! Trustees came and repaired the wall.
And Ramps of Hope, a ministry in the Erie-Meadville District arrived and in two hours installed a ramp to the parsonage for complete and safe accessibility.
Charles Stehlik is the new director of Ramps of Hope; Debbie Hills, its founder, recently retired. Ramps of Hope has installed over 600 ramps thus far. They not only install them; they inspect them annually for safety and wear.
What a worth-while ministry to those who find themselves in need of accessibility!
If you are in the Erie-Meadville District, Ramps of Hope can use volunteers to help with installation, as well as donations of money for materials to help those with mobility issues.
I am one very grateful pastor to this ministry.