arc From Gary W. Spangler -- Executive Director Christian Churches Disability Ministry CCDM Board of Directors Gary W. Spangler Executive Director

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2 arc From Gary W. Spangler -- Executive Director 2 Happy Spring! I know that Spring is not a national holiday but it should be. God has always blessed me beyond compare and this Spring is no exception. The snow has melted, the power outages in freezing temperatures have gone and I say to all of you, Happy Spring! Seriously, it has been a difficult winter. We spent three nights in a hotel, handing us some unexpected expenses of almost $5000; we trudged through ice and snow, and sadly, we said good bye to one of our residents, Carol. Carol was great. When I first arrived at CCDM five years ago, I was still learning the residents names when I accidentally called her Brenda. She looked at me like, Are you nuts? What is your problem? and said, Brenda? My name is Carol. Since that time we had become good friends. She was so proud of her family and talked about them often. Last year at Dollywood, my granddaughter pushed her wheelchair for her. Carol is with our Lord and now perfected. We will miss her and the residents are handling our loss very well. I really want you to go to our website at to look at the progress on our new home in Versailles, Missouri. God just keeps on blessing us, including an easier way to donate online. Please keep us in your prayers and come by to visit this summer. Christian Churches Disability Ministry Gary W. Spangler Executive Director Rhonna S. McBride Director of Residential Services Roy Row Director of Development Carol Hundley Administrative Assistant P.O. Box 310 Louisville, TN CCDM Board of Directors Walt Dooley Edwin Griffin Cecil Howard Bart Jones Scott Kent Bill McLendon Drew Mentzer Richard Mullineux Webster Olgesby Dale Sikes John Wagner Directors Emeritus Ziden Nutt Wayne B. Smith Sam Stone

3 It's Been a Rough Winter There are many places that have had a worse winter than we have had in Tennessee...Boston to name one. But in the socalled sunny South, we do not expect, nor are we prepared for, the winter we experienced this past February. Some people think that we panic at the first sign of falling snow, but we are not talking about just snow; we are talking about ICE! It all began with a snow and ice combination on Monday, February 16th. Over the next two weeks, we experienced three more snow and ice events. On the evening of the 9th, trees came down and knocked down our power lines. The next morning (Tuesday), Gary went out with his trusted chain saw and removed the trees that were blocking the road so that we could move our residents to a local motel, where they stayed until Friday. Our folks were real troopers. Our residents and our employees made the best of an inconvenient situation. They were warm and had food to eat, which was much better than the plight of many we heard about in the local news. The warmth of the motel and the enjoyment of warm meals did not come without cost. Our expenses totaled over $5,000 for those three days. It s not cheap taking care of 19 residents and our resident managers. If you would be willing to help with this unexpected expense, please just write SNOW on the memo line of your check and mail it to CCDM, PO Box 310, Louisville, TN Thank you for your continued support and prayers. 3

4 arc From Roy E. Row - Director of Development The last six months have certainly been different. Last October, we broke ground on the New Hope Christian Community property in Versailles, Missouri. Since that time things have been moving forward in preparation for the start of construction in April. By God s grace, all the permits are being processed, the plans prepared and refined, the foundations and initial materials delivered, and the organizational details of staff and operations worked through. In the meantime, regular operations continue. Our first and foremost concern is to care and nurture the resident family that God has put in our care. That is a challenge during any season, but this winter proved more challenging for the daily routine at Riverwood. Ice storms, snow, and power outages disrupted life as we know it over the past few weeks. In addition, it added greatly to the cost of operation of our community. Utility bills have soared, and extra expenses, such as motel rooms, have stretched the budget to the limits. We even lost over a $1,000 in food during the power outage when everything in our refrigerators/freezers had to be thrown out. In the midst of all the challenges, we have also seen God s provision through the actions of faithful friends and supporters. We are able to exist because of people who Gary Spangler with a check for $5900 care. Just before Christmas, I received a call from a family who was concerned about the quality of the beds on which our residents were sleeping. That call resulted in their donation of almost $6,000 to purchase new mattresses and box springs for each of our residents! I wish you could have been there to share in the excitement and joy of each of our family members as they helped in moving the old beds out and putting 4

5 the new ones in their rooms. Everyone participated in the project, and all celebrated with a good nights sleep! Several weeks ago, we were blessed with a generous gift of support from the congregation of Boones Creek Christian Church, Gray, Tennessee. The general condition of Riverwood I is not good. It was built in the 1980 s and shows the wear of a home that houses 10 people and sees constant traffic from visitors as well. One of the critical issues is the windows, Gary Spangler with a check for $14,000 for new windows for Riverwood I. which must be in good operation for the safety, protection, and well-being of the residents. Some of the windows were past functioning, and others were closing so poorly that cold wind and drafts were a real concern. Boones Creek responded to that serious need with a gift of $14,000, the exact amount needed to completely replace the windows throughout the home. Other major projects in the residence which still need to be addressed include 1)new flooring, 2)bathroom repairs, and 3)painting (both inside and out). We are excited to see how the total project comes together in the months ahead. 5

6 arc Our Residents' Birthdays April 8 Deborah 10 Scott F. May 17 Don 24 Tom K. June 9 Stacy 26 Frank Please send your cards to: Resident s name Riverwood Christian Community 3123 Pride Road (P.O. Box 310) Louisville, TN Spotlight on our Resident Manager Who would have thought when Rhonna (formerly Sanford) McBride came to work at Riverwood while attending Johnson University in the 80s, that years later she would still be here? Yes, Rhonna has been here for a long time, but that s because she has a servant s heart and truly loves our residents. Until now, Rhonna s responsibilities as Director of Residential Services have mainly been to oversee the care of our residents at Riverwood on a day to day basis and to direct the activities of our Resident Managers, Now, with the addition of New Hope Christian Community in Versailles, Missouri, Rhonna s duties will include not only her Tennessee responsibilities, but new challenges and duties in Missouri. Anyone who knows Rhonna knows that she truly loves the Lord, loves our residents, and loves her job. That s why it s so easy to understand why our residents refer to her as, Mama Rhonna. 6 Rhonna and Paul (who were married last October) at the Prom of the Stars several years ago.

7 Gifts to Remember Through March 20, 2015 In memory of: Carol Baggett Rick Carswell Bobby McDaniel Gene Mitchell Carol Peelen Barbara Pew Gib Rannick Lewis Sams Michael Taylor Sanders II Ed Spencer Ab & Fylma Witt Given by: Shirley Cohen Reggie and Carol Hundley Robert and Mary Moore Don and Harriet Ray Wayne and Beth Ray Scott and Tami Sallade Don and Nancy Stivers & family Jack & Dot Pickett Dr. & Mrs. Gilbert Rannick & family Martha Sams Mike and Betty Anne Sanders Beverly Spencer & Dirck Spencer Jim Witt Gifts to Honor In honor of: Julie Bassett Jeff Grubb Dorothy Merriman Lamar & Barbara Merriman Jim and Norma Pierson Glenna Sandefur Wayne and Ida Spangler Mary C. Witt Through March 20, 2015 Given by: Bill and Nancy Bassett Alec and Pamela Bryson Ronald and Terrie Mahs Buddy Britt Josh and Mandy Adkins Gene and Jo Merriman Gene and Shirley Wigginton Mortons Gap Christian Church Paul and Suzie Greene Tim and Ann Sandefur Cecil and Catherine Hallman J.P. Witt 7

8 Me Buddy? For as little as $25 a month, you can help to sponsor a resident at Riverwood. We currently have four (4) residents who need financial assistance. If you, your Sunday school class, small group or anyone would be interested in helping one of our residents, please call us at , or visit our website at arc for more information. We will send you a picture and information about the person you are sponsoring. Won t you help us to help them? Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Knoxville, TN Permit #573 The Servant Return Service Requested Riverwood Christian Community Tennessee New Hope Christian Community Missouri P.O. Box 310 Louisville, TN Volume 6 Number 2 Spring 2015