Hamlet Church steps up when National Guard ships out

This has to be the best story I've read this year. This is what all churches need to do and all of us.
Church tends to family needs as Guard unit deploys
By MITCH WEISS and KEVIN MAURER – 3 hours ago

HAMLET, N.C. (AP) — With spaghetti boiling and meat sauce simmering in the church's kitchen, the Rev. Chris Hawks welcomed members of his congregation to their regular Wednesday night meal and kept an eye on the door.

He'd issued a standing invitation to the families of the 76 soldiers in E Company, the town's National Guard unit, which is training for a yearlong tour of Iraq that starts this spring.

"We invited them to eat supper with us, and I want to make them feel welcome," said the 36-year-old leader of Second Baptist Church.

The church making more than pasta in its effort to care for E Company's families: Hawks is setting up a domestic 911 force to spring to action when a soldier's wife's car breaks down, a brother's water heater goes or a daughter's faucet starts to leak. The church members, along with neighbors and others, are doing their best to tend to the everyday duties on the home front while the troops are away, just like so many communities have done.

"Guys usually take care of things when they go amok," said Jimmy Stricklin, 62, a retired CSX locomotive electrician and the church's Mr. Fix-it. "This is our way to show a sense of caring and support for those people fighting for our freedom."

The work is almost as important for the soldiers training to fight half a world away. Worries about what's happening at home can creep into their minds, taking their focus off the dangers they'll face in Iraq. Knowing someone is watching over their family eases the concern.

"They want to know everything is being taken care of," said Ronda Jones, whose husband Jason is a member of E Company and served with the unit during its last deployment to Iraq. "The last thing they need to do is worry about little things back home. ... They know if something goes wrong, there are people in the community willing to help."

Hawks grew up in Hamlet, friends with several men who went on to join E Company, the engineer company of the 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard. The Associated Press is chronicling the experiences of the company, their families and their town as they train for and serve in Iraq.

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