A Journey of Faith, Service, and Laughter by Dickie Somers



A Long Road Home

My name is Dickie Somers. I want to be honest first: I am not perfect. There are things in my life I am not proud of, but there are also many things I thank God for. One of the biggest blessings in my life is this church. I have been part of this church for a long time—over 50 years now. Church has always been important to me. I grew up in a Christian family with eight children. My father worked in the woods, and my mother worked hard all her life. Faith was the foundation of our home. Even today, I start my day the same way: I make coffee, and then I read my devotions. Every single morning. That is what keeps me going.

When I was young, my mother loved the church. She came early every Sunday, not just for worship, but to talk to everyone. She loved people, and I think I learned that from her. I always looked forward to Sunday school then, and I still do today.

 

Starting the Men’s Group

One day, we had a visiting minister named Tom Chandler. At that time, we did not have a pastor. He asked us a simple question: “Do you have a men’s group?” We said, “No.” He said, “You should start one.”

So we did. Five men showed up at the first meeting. Somehow, I was chosen as president, and I stayed in that role for about 14 years. We had a great group of men—hard workers, faithful, and fun. One thing I always insisted on was this: “This is not just for Methodists.” Anyone could come—Catholic, Pentecostal, anyone. And they did come. Some stayed with us for many years.

 

Work, Laughter, and Faith

We did a lot of work together, but we also had a lot of fun. We started holding auctions every year. Now, that was a lot of work! You would finish one auction and immediately start planning the next. But it was worth it. We raised about $2,500 to $3,000 each time, and every penny went back into the church.

We helped put in furnaces, replaced old wooden doors with steel ones, built steps, and even built a garage for the parsonage. We had a great carpenter, Frank Violet, who led many of those projects. The men showed up whenever they were needed, and that made all the difference.

“Feed Them First!”

Auction day started early—very early. We opened the building around 4:00 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. start. Sometimes it didn’t end until 3:00 in the afternoon. We had one golden rule: Feed the workers first! We took everyone out for breakfast to keep them happy, and it worked.

One year, it rained all day. We thought we might have to cancel, but our auctioneer said, “No, we won’t stop.” We moved chairs into the garage, covered everything we could, and kept going. We never canceled an auction. Not once.

We did many simple things that needed doing. We mowed lawns, cleaned the church, and cleared paths after snowstorms. For many years, it was my job to ring the church bells. We just did what needed to be done for the house of the Lord.

 

Easter Mornings and Special Meals

Easter was always special. We held an Easter breakfast every year for our church and others in the community. I used to get up at 3:00 a.m. to help. We had great cooks and lots of help; men and women worked together. We also started a Christmas meal for people who might be alone. Eventually, we moved it to Christmas Day and even delivered meals to people at home. You could truly see the love of Christ in those moments.

 

Gratitude and Final Thoughts

I have had hard times—sickness and struggles. But I always remember that there is always someone worse off. God has been good to me. Our church family has been wonderful. People bring meals and show so much love. I never even know what I will eat for supper because someone always brings something!

This church means the world to me. The men’s group, the fellowship, the laughter, and the work—it was never just about one person. It was all of us together. I thank God for every moment.

People say I like to laugh, and that is true. Even in the hospital, I try to make people smile. One time, a woman at church said to me, “Dick, you should go to the cemetery.” I thought, “Well… maybe she’s right!” Then she quickly corrected herself: “No, no! I mean seminary!” We both laughed. I never forgot that. You have to laugh in life.

If I can leave you with one thought, it is this: Keep coming to church. Keep serving. Keep loving people. And don’t forget to laugh.



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