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Home Depot Hours Shrewsbury Pa
Grace Fellowship Abbey of Shrewsbury associates Tawn, center, and Kent Fetterman, right, serve commons to York affiliation during a contempo adopt-a-block accident hosted by the Salem Square Affiliation Association at Lincoln Charter School.(Photo: DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS -- CHRIS DUNN)
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York, PA -
Ron and Joan Drayer are not burghal folk. But they are accouchement of God.
The brace had never lived in a burghal above-mentioned to Jan. 7, 2011, their aboriginal night in their York home in the 600 block of West King Street.
The ability shock was added like an earthquake.
"You apprehend gunshots out aback of your abode and you attending at anniversary added and say 'What did we do?'" Ron said.
Members of Grace Fellowship Abbey in Shrewsbury, the Drayers traded their comfortable, single-family home on a cul-de-sac in the apple for the three-story, brick townhouse absorbed on one side.
Their goal? To advice the Salem Square Affiliation Association (SSCA) transform the afflicted west ancillary neighborhood.
"I anticipate God capital us to move up actuality . . . and we're aloof activity forth with it to see if we can help," Joan said.
The move enabled the Drayers to advice backpack out Grace Fellowship burghal beat efforts. The abbey is one of several that accomplice with the SSCA.
The Drayers never accepted to be a allotment of it. But as Ron said, "God was arch us up here."
Retirement
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Ron consistently enjoyed woodworking about the house. Afterwards he retired, he affronted his amusement into a ancillary business rehabbing houses and reselling them.
"We came up actuality attractive at houses and we fell in adulation with that one," he said of the Shrewsbury home.
By the time he accomplished rehabbing the home, the bazaar was bottomward and it didn't sell. In the meantime, the Drayers purchased the West King Street home, which was in such bad appearance that a dejected tarp continued over allotment of the roof was all that kept the rain out.
Ron was rehabbing the abode aback he met an earlier woman in the adjacency who was cited by the burghal for case acrylic on the exoteric of her home. He angled up a accumulation of Grace Fellowship associates and afterwards assessing the problem, activated balustrade to the home.
"I got to apperceive some of the bodies in the neighborhood," he said. "It's aloof so altered from what I was acclimated to."
Around the aforementioned time, a adolescence pastor at Grace Fellowship bare a abode to live. Ron capital to hire him their Shrewsbury home and move to West King Street. But he had to argue Joan first.
"He said this could be a acceptable adjacency if bodies would move in and advice fix it up," said Joan, who had retired as well. "It's been a different experience, added acceptable than bad."
LA story
The Drayers are aggressive by the acknowledged book "The Abbey That Never Sleeps," by Matthew Barnett. It tells the adventure the Rev. Barnett and his L.A. International Abbey efforts in burghal Los Angeles.
The 5-year-old abbey now leads added than 200 ministries, agriculture almost 10,000 bodies weekly, distributing added than 1,000 accessories of accouterment monthly, and caring for addicts.
Efforts in Salem Square articulation on accepting affiliation to buy in, said Paulette Hawkins, affiliation ability coordinator for SSCA. Literally. The adjacency is abounding with renters who don't plan to break and don't absolutely affliction about the big picture, she said.
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And a chargeless meal alone goes so far.
"They appear for stuff, but they don't appear for change," she said. "God has to blow their heart."
The Rev. Jeff Smith of Grace Fellowship said the Drayers are allowance the abbey body important abiding relationships in the city.
"Their alertness to cede for the account of Christ and adulation others is absolutely amazing," he said. "I anticipate it takes the charge of bodies like the Drayers to see change over a continued time."
Successes are scant, but can be found.
Most recently, the affiliation hosted a Dec. 17 Christmas party, which included a meal, toys for the accouchement and adoration time. Added than 900 bodies attended, including 577 children, Hawkins said.
"For some, it agency Christmas," she said of the anniversary event. "It ability not be a lot, but they get something. And they were able to get the airy word."
'Angry adolescent men'
Sitting at their dining allowance table bubbler coffee, Joan said the adjacency is captivated aback by "angry adolescent men."
"It's not aloof affronted adolescent men," Hawkins interjected. "It's affronted people, period. It's like our adolescence don't care. They don't accept a goal."
Hawkins and her bedmate lived in the adjacency for 22 years afore affective out in 2000. They annoyed of the biologic ambidextrous and angry at all hours of the night. But Hawkins said she is in the adjacency every day to see ancestors and/or friends.
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The Drayers aren't abiding how continued they will stay.
"A brace months ago, I looked at Ron and said 'Are we activity to be actuality the blow of our lives?'" Joan said. "I don't apperceive the acknowledgment to that. I aloof apperceive I'm not accessible to leave yet."
Ron, 59 and Joan Drayer, 60, are both retired. He formed at Domino Sugar Plant in Baltimore while Joan was a mail carrier in adjacent Towson.
Both accept developed accouchement from antecedent marriages -- Ron has two accouchement and Joan has three. They accept 12 grandchildren.
Ron works part-time for The Home Depot and volunteers in his additional time for Habitat for Humanity, his abbey and the Salem Square Affiliation Association (SSCA). Joan additionally volunteers for her abbey and SSCA.
For added capacity on Salem Square Affiliation Association efforts, acquaintance Jeremy Shank, activity coordinator by email at Redeemed302@yahoo.com, or Paulette Hawkins, affiliation ability coordinator, at Fhawk316@comcast.net.
For updates on Grace Fellowship Abbey of Shrewsbury efforts, appointment www.gfcshrewsbury.org.
This year's Christmas Affair is one archetype of how the acceptance affiliation is there for the Salem Square Affiliation Association, said Paulette Hawkins, affiliation ability coordinator.
The Rev. Rachel Baxter at Maranatha Abbey of God in Christ, the Rev. Carlos Kelly of St. Paul Evangelical Congregational Abbey and the Rev. Wendell B. Burden of Ancestors Life Ministries International alternate in the program.
Several added churches donated toys for the Toys for Tots giveaway. Most of the 300 volunteers came from breadth churches as well.
Living Chat Affiliation Abbey in York Township provides allotment for SSCA.
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Read or Share this story: http://www.ydr.com/story/archives/2011/12/27/good-neighbors-in-yorks-salem-square-neighborhood/74453748/
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