Church volunteers to paint clubhouse

One Plains church showed that God isn't just for the Sunday pulpit. Members of the First Lutheran Church of Plains took part in the church's "God's Work, Our Hands" program to repaint the Plains Golf Course clubhouse. 

Ten volunteers spent Thursday and Friday morning repainting the 2,000-square-foot building at no cost to the golf course, which is owned by the Town of Plains, but operated by a nonprofit organization. Plains Mayor Dan Rowan said the town doesn't have funds in the budget, nor does the organization that manages the golf course, according to Barry Fowler, a golf course board member. Fowler said the clubhouse was last painted in 2010. As per the golf course board, the volunteers went with a "warm bark" - brown – for the new look.

In the "God's Work, Our Hands" program, parishioners each year choose some type of outreach community project to do. The nationwide program began in 2013, but this is the third year that the First Lutheran Church of Plains has participated. Carol Seilhymer, the church pastor, said last year's project was the cleanup of trash along Highway 200 near the dump. Joyce Dougan, one of the painter volunteers, said they collected nine large garbage bags of trash in three hours. In the first year, church members repainted the house of Plains resident Viola Allestad. Seilhymer said the church council with input from the congregation members picks the project each year.  

One of the reasons the golf course clubhouse was selected is because it's also available for leasing for community functions, such as reunions, parties and other get-togethers. "It's a community structure so anybody can use it, so that's why it can be covered under this program," said Carl Benson, president of the church council and the primary coordinator of this year's project. It was church member Donna Hadley who got $300 through her Thrivent Financial card, a nonprofit organization, to purchase paint for the project. Volunteer Les Carpenter said it would have cost thousands for a professional painter to do the job. "We don't have a real large church, but we get a good turnout from our members," said Benson.

"Our goal is to help the community or an individual. This is a great project and it's fun to get out here with people," said Benson, who spent 15-20 hours doing the prep work the previous week. He and Paradise resident Don Stamm replaced one of the clubhouse window sills last week.

"I think the God's Work, Our Hands program is good for the congregation and the community," said Seilhymer, who is also pastor of the Thompson Falls First Lutheran Church. The pastor said the program is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America initiative that celebrates who the church is - "one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor." She added that community service is one of "the most basic convictions as Lutherans."

The six women and four men spent 10 hours on the clubhouse over the two days, which included putting four or five boards over woodpecker holes, said Benson, who helped on both previous projects. Although it wasn't church affiliated, Benson was one of the volunteers who renovated the inside of the clubhouse three or four years ago. He'll also be helping when they convert a storage room to a shower in the near future.

Benson said several golfers stopped by while they were painting  and said they appreciated the work. "If it looks nice and has a good appearance, then maybe more people will use it," said Dougan.