THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611030089
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 94 lines
Members of Pinecrest Baptist Church are a warm, inviting bunch. Saturday, they had several gallons of anti-freeze on hand to prove it.
What did antifreeze have to do with reaching out to people?
At Pinecrest, it was one of the supplies used in what is becoming an annual ministry: a winterizing car inspection designed to serve widows, the elderly and even single women.
The Rev. Thomas Potter knows winterizing cars might not seem like a typical ministry. But he points out that Jesus' ministry on Earth revolved around meeting people's needs.
``While churches specialize in the soul, obviously that's eternal,'' he said. ``We also realize there are a lot of human needs.''
Potter approached John Gunn, a member of the church who owns Standard Engine & Machine Co. Inc., about heading up the project three years ago.
Gunn and three of his mechanics do the inspections and work. His company is not an auto repair garage, but does mainly engine replacement, he said.
``But simple things like this, pretty much any mechanic can handle,'' Gunn said.
The church provides a little something, like a gift certificate, to say thanks to Gunn's employees. But basically, it's volunteer work for them, Gunn said.
``It's well worth it simply to see how appreciative these folks are,'' Gunn said. ``That alone makes it worth the time to go down there and do it.''
On Saturday morning, as a steady rain chilled the air and gave the first real hint of winter's approach, the church parking lot filled with cars.
Women pushed umbrellas up over their heads and headed for the comfort of the church social hall, where hot coffee and doughnuts were served.
The first year that the church sponsored the car inspection, about a dozen people showed up. About 25 showed up last year.
This year, the event drew about 19 people.
The rain kept some of the older folks from coming out. Many assumed the inspection would be canceled, since Gunn and his employees usually do their work in the parking lot.
But the Rev. Potter had shown up first thing in the morning to make room in the large brick garage the church uses for its van and other church equipment.
Wayne Booth, a deacon at the church, showed up early too, calling about 40 people on the church roster to let them know the inspection would go on as planned.
Booth is the deacon who leads the Small Maintenance and Repair Team ministry, which the car inspection comes under.
Gunn and other members serving on the team bring a lifetime of specialized skills.
``We've got an electrician, painters, concrete people, and whatever comes up we've got somebody that can do it,'' Booth said.
Their good deeds have ranged from building a wheelchair ramp for one widow to putting in a water heater for another.
But both Booth and Potter give Gunn all the credit for the work and dedication that goes into making the winterizing inspection a success.
The mechanics spent anywhere from a half-hour to an hour on each car.
Gunn carefully marked down a checklist on each car - 23 items, from antifreeze and other fluid levels to the condition of belts and hoses, even the air in tires.
``Inevitably, we always find a lot of stuff they weren't aware of - nails in tires, a belt getting ready to break,'' said Gunn. ``Little stuff like that could end up stranding them.''
Gunn carried a cellular phone and had a parts store on standby to deliver what might be needed for a simple and quick repair.
One car was parked outside the church garage, waiting for a new radiator hose. The mechanics discovered the one in the car had been installed backward, and a hole had been worn where it was rubbing up against the battery.
While they only make recommendations of major repairs that might be needed, the things they can do at the church - including parts and supplies - are free.
By the end of the day's work, they had gone through about 10 gallons of antifreeze and two cases of oil. They also used a gallon of windshield wiper fluid, about three pints of transmission fluid, six radiator caps, two air filters and various light bulbs.
While Gunn's crew tried to stay warm with the help of a portable heater in the garage, people waiting for their cars sat around tables in the social hall, sipping coffee and catching up on one another's lives.
``This is the greatest thing in the world,'' said Ollie Oldham.
She recalled her last trip to a garage for what she thought was a minor repair. Without calling her, the mechanic there did $800 worth of work, she said.
So the chance to have her car checked out at her own church got Oldham in line first thing in the morning.
``I think it's about the nicest thing anyone could do for you,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MARK MITCHELL/The Virginian-Pilot
It was raining Saturday, so some folks thought Pinecrest Baptist
wouldn't be doing its thing. It was. The minister, Thomas Potter,
cleared room in the garage for mechanics from John Gunn's Standard
Engine & Machine Co. to work. Here, Chris Lear, left, and Curtis
Butler work on Dorothy Olah's car. by CNB