COVINGTON, Va.—“Help, I’ve fallen … and I can’t get up!” was a catchphrase of the early 1990s based on a line from a TV commercial portraying an elderly woman suddenly incapacitated at home. While the phrase has now become a punch line for many comedians, according to Bill Hartsfield, pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Covington, Va., it spurred a deacon ministry project that has been offered to the church and community for over 15 years.
George Cottrell, who currently oversees the Help Link ministry at Temple Baptist Church, holds one of the automatic dialing machines.
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It began when the deacons became aware of several members who were living alone and needed a way to contact someone in the event they became ill, Hartsfield says. Reports show that independent living is a longstanding source of pride for seniors, but its biggest threat is a medical emergency.
With the commercial in mind and a variety of products on the market, deacons at Temple Baptist Church chose an automatic dialing machine called Help Link. The device is plugged into a phone with a land line and comes with a neck pendant for a person to wear. In case of a medical emergency, the person pushes a button on the pendant and the automatic dialing machine begins calling phone numbers of family or neighbors. If the first contact doesn’t answer, the machine automatically dials the next phone number.
When an emergency contact is reached, says Hartsfield, that person hears a recording that this person needs immediate help and hopefully is nearby and can respond quickly.
“It’s security for the person who wears it and the family as well. Anything that can give them confidence is a good thing,” he adds.
One deacon coordinates the ministry and Hartsfield estimates that through the years it’s possible that more people from the community have used it than church members. Many times church members know a friend or neighbor and bring their name to the deacons for this ministry.
Each ramp installed by the Men of Mission of Covington, Va., is marked by this plaque.
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Hartsfield says the deacons pay for the machines and provide them at no charge. They also go to the person’s home and install the device and show the family how it works. A deacon then visits periodically to check the batteries and install new ones.
“It’s a great way to make contact with family members,” Hartsfield says. Some people want to pay something toward the cost and he says that money goes toward additional machines and batteries.
While he couldn’t possibly know how many machines have been provided, he guesses it’s at least 100 or so. When the machine is no longer needed, it’s returned to the church and deacons check to make sure it works properly and shares it with another family. Hartsfield says like anything else it seems to go in spurts, but now that the community knows Temple Baptist has this ministry, the requests keep coming.
Temple Baptist’s deacons are also involved with the Men of Mission, a group started by a Presbyterian church in the area. Men of Mission have constructed over 100 handicapped ramps in the Covington area. Hartsfield says many of the men are retired from a nearby paper mill and have worked together for years.
“These guys are so good at it they can construct a 50-foot ramp before lunch,” he notes. All of the labor is free and many of the materials are provided through donations. A wood plaque is attached to each ramp reading: “Blessed by God, Built by Men of Mission.”
“Anything that you can do to help people out a little bit,” says Hartsfield, is an opportunity for Christ followers to show God’s love.
Barbara Francis ([email protected]) is a staff writer for the Religious Herald.