The cold weather couldn’t stop dozens of people from gathering to unveil the first partnership between New Covenant United Methodist Church’s Helping Hands ministry and Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter.
Tom and Dana Stark, of the Village of Piedmont, will be the first to admit that 2020 was difficult for the Filler Factory ministry at Live Oaks Community Church.
âIn normal times, we would gather at the church and put together shoeboxes on a regular basis,â Tom said. âBut due to COVID-19, we had to change a great deal of how we operate.â
The COVID-19 crisis forced Live Oaks to shut down its Oxford campus for parts of the spring and summer, and that meant Filler Factory could not gather for its weekly sessions in the church. Even when things returned to some kind of normal, Filler Factory imposed new rules and schedules to limit the number of people participating at any session for social distancing purposes.