by Marty Curtis

Friends in Deed, an FPC local mission ministry, has been around for nearly 10 years. The driving force behind this program of helping people with home projects, repairs and maintenance has always been Mike Carson.

According to Mike, “It’s a calling. We try to do what we can to help people out.”

Occasionally, Mike calls on a helper if the task is too big for one person. The ministry has expanded to serve people beyond just the members of FPC. A call for help to the Church Office will result in Mike sometimes getting two or three requests per week. Over the course of a year, he may work on some
20 different projects.

The idea for Friends in Deed came from a Mission Committee request. Some members in the congregation needed help with repairs around their homes and didn’t have the skills or money to take care of things. The projects may range from faucet and doorknob replacement to new pickets on a fence or even roof repair!

The most memorable project Mike worked on was getting a house ready for an FPC member, a widow, to
sell after living there for 25 years. The work required stripping wallpaper from almost all rooms and
painting, replacing linoleum flooring with tiles in the kitchen and hallway, installing new carpet, and
generally improving everything throughout the house. As Mike put it, the premium value she got when selling the house provided her “enough money to live on the rest of her life…and keep her dignity.”