A spacious, spotless new retail resale store and adjacent warehouse on U.S. 301 in Wildwood, called Bargains and Blessings, were dedicated on Saturday in a rousing service at Wildwood’s nearby United Methodist Church. The church was filled with a sea of blue shirts — darker blue with Helping Hands Ministry emblems, and lighter blue with the Bargains and Blessings logo.
The store is located at 301 N. Main St. in Wildwood.
The project is the culmination of thousands upon thousands of work hours by more than 140 dedicated volunteers from the United Methodist Church in Wildwood, New Covenant United Methodist Church in The Villages and men from House of Hope, a division of City of Hope International.
“Our mission is to glorify God by providing gently used, quality merchandise for sale to the community in a friendly and compassionate manner — to improve the lives of God’s people in the surrounding areas and to generate funds for future outreach ministries,” Director of Biblical Studies and Ministries, Rev. Gary Cantrell, said.
Six months ago, New Covenant UMC purchased two rundown buildings in downtown Wildwood. Members of the Helping Hands Ministry renovated and transformed 8,000 square feet into a beautiful resale shop and warehouse. With major donations and labor provided by a long list of successful local businesses, the project took shape quickly.
Volunteer Jan Murphy, a Santo Domingo Village resident, said church members could not believe the poor condition of the buildings before renovation. “The floors were cracked, part of the roof was caved in — the two buildings looked as if they should have been demolished,” she recalled. “But they fixed them up nicely — they are neat and clean inside — they did a beautiful job. They purchased the cash register, hangers and racks at really good prices from Coldwater Creek, which recently went out of business in The Villages. Those are really first-rate fixtures.”
Senior Pastor Harold Hendren of New Covenant UMC in The Villages cited a 2006 book “It’s Better Together” by Rick Warren.
“We are able to accomplish more when we work in small groups than just individuals alone, Rev. Harold said. “The groups spark ideas, we work together as teams, and the shared goals keep us going. We believe  as long as we are a church of God reaching out to help people in need in the community, God will continue to bless us over and over.” He cited verses in the Book of Abraham which read: “I am going to bless you so you will be a blessing to others.”
“An ‘exterior-focused’ church builds bridges to the community instead of building walls around themselves,” Rev. Hendren added. “We want to be a beacon to the community. We don’t balk at a dirty stream — we jump in and clean it up.”
Special recognition was given to the Sumter County Commissioners; to Bill Gregory Excavating, Inc. for demolition and site clearing labor and equipment; C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc. for asphalt work and other labor. Dan Shepler Roofing, Galaxy Home Solutions, Lake Glass and Ro-Mac (lumber) Supply company were all cited for their contributions to this and to other UMC outreach projects.
Project leaders said their ministries would not be successful without Sun Color Paints, Sunshine Air Conditioning, Inc.; Superior Pest Control Service of Florida; T&D Concrete for permitting work and building reconstruction, and Wildwood Kitchen & Bath. Among the volunteers, project manager Jim Donovan and ‘Mr. Reliable’ Rich McDermott, received applause as did Village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter residents Cherie and Mel Paisley, who will serve as operations managers for the store.
Over the past eight years, the Helping Hands Ministry has provided new homes for 19 needy area families and next week, they will begin their 20th home. On average, they help two families per year — and the families participate by paying it forward. The recipients participate in the ministry and contribute one-third of the cost of their homes. The ministry’s goal is to help Wildwood area families improve their lifestyles and, in partnership with other area churches, create systemic changes to upgrade the communities around The Villages.
Bargains and Blessings will be open Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. They will be closed Sundays and Mondays. For more information, call Cherie Paisley at 330-3333.
