REV. SMITH TO STEP DOWN FROM EXODUS HOMES | WHKY News -- Community Focus: Tuesday, 08/27/2024

what's most important to you in buying Windows siding or doors is it Energy savings cost quality or warranty Window World offers it all by searching Window World today welcome back in to the whky news and Community Focus I'm Ralph Mangum with big news from Exodus homes here's whk y's Ariana Mack joining us in Community Focus Reverend Susan Smith Senior associate pastor of Exodus missionary Outreach United Church of Christ and assistant executive director of Exodus homes tell me about how you got your position Susan well uh 27 years ago in July 1997 I had moved here from Charlotte to work for the Kataba County Department of Social Services managing their residential programs and the first weekend that I lived here I read a story about Reverend Reggie L Cryer founding a new church in the Dirk M Thompson Mortuary Chapel which to me was uh a totally new idea i' never heard of anyone starting a church in a funeral home chapel and that he was reaching out to people who had typically been unwelcome in church church damaged never been in church people who were homeless uh recovering from addiction incarceration and I just thought that sounded so interesting and so much like Jesus that I called him up and I said now what are you doing in a funeral home what kind of man are you you know to leave the am Zion denomination to to do something like this this and he said well uh the Bible says that if you a man wants to build a building he must first count the cost and and determine if he has what it takes to complete it and he says I've counted the cost and I think I have what it takes to complete it and there's a great vision and he said if you really want to know what kind of man I am why don't you come to church Sunday and I said well maybe I will he said well maybe I'll see you then of course and tell us a little bit about what it looks like in these last couple weeks where has it come from since then well in I'll just say that last year in 2023 was a banner year for us um we won a number one Landscaping Company of Kataba Valley through the Hickory Daily Record business competition in our Enterprises that our our residents run and work in we won number one moving company of Kataba Valley and we were awarded nonprofit of the Year by the city of Hickory in December and so uh after 27 years we last year was just such a confirmation from the community of how much they support us and appreciate what we're doing and I'm aware that you are taking a new position will you tell us about that I am uh after 27 years at uh exus homes uh rev and I always said that um we were looking for our Joshua because you know Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and they finally got to the edge of the promised land but it was not Moses uh calling to lead them into the promised land it was Joshua and so Moses did not get to go forward as much as he had done he had to pass the Baton to Joshua and Joshua led the children into uh the promised land and so Reverend L Cryer and I have always said that we're looking for our Joshua and when we see them that will pass the Baton and he has not seen his Joshua but I saw mine and her name is Carol Vandergriff she's worked in uh The Exodus homes business office for 6 years part-time she is a very talented uh sales and marketing professional um she's just great with organizational development and I said that's my Joshua and so when I saw my Joshua then I began to look for another position because I'm not really ready to retire retire I'll be 70 in January but I have a lot of energy um I love to to do things that matter and make a difference and so I am after Labor Day I will begin at Western peont Community College as their director of Grants and sponsored projects for the foundation within the college stay tuned with Exodus Ministries as they go upon their journey and and Susan Smith as she goes upon her new Journey I'm Ariana Mack for whky thank you Ariana a hickory Metro County has earned an award from a state organization Rob Eastwood has the details Caldwell County officials announced that their Workforce Wednesdays connecting careers to the classroom program has been honored with an excellent in innovational award from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners they have teamed with the Civic Federal Credit Union out of over 60 applicants Caldwell County is one of just 14 projects recognized for demonstrating innovative solutions and cost and resource savings for counties across North Carolina the Excellence in Innovation Awards celebrate the dedication and creativity of County employees who have developed and implemented successful programs in 2023 these programs significantly enhance the services delivered to Citizens and are recognized in four key categories General government Human Services public information and participation and intergovernmental collaboration Caldwell County's award-winning Workforce Wednesday's initiative was developed collaboratively by Caldwell County Economic Development Caldwell County schools and Caldwell Community College for more information about the Excellence in Innovation Awards or the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners annual conference you can visit ncacc org or you can contact Caldwell County economic development director Ashley bolck you can also get more information on this by going to this story at our website whky.com reporting for whky news I'm Rob Eastwood thank you Rob and thank you all all for joining us this has been Community Focus on the whky news now on behalf of Rob Eastwood Ariana Mack Jason Savage the Reverend Susan Smith and Carol Vandergriff I'm Ralph Mangum this has been the whky news