Mt. Sylvan Saints

Saints Among Us- The Mt. Sylvan Saints

There are Habitat saints among us! You will not find them working Habitat busiest workdays or leading a group of volunteers. Instead you find this devote group of saints working every Wednesday, month after month, year after year.   Their work is so greatly appreciated but except for the grateful Habitat construction leaders, these saints remain unseen.

Who are these saints? They are the Mount Sylvan Saints! 

The Mt. Sylvan Saints hail from Mt. Sylvan United Methodist Church. The group includes 8-12 men who have been volunteering with Habitat of Durham since 2002.  Four years ago, they began their dedicated weekly volunteer commitment when their minister Jesse Larkins - married to Habitat of Durham's Construction Director - put out a call for Habitat volunteers asking Herb Cimburke to head up the group.  

Who are these guys? 

When asked, they set the record straight, "We aren't saints! We are blessed, retired folk."  Their names are, in alphabetical order, Jim Armstrong, John Bowers, Mike Brooks, Herbert Cimburke, Sam Edwards, Mike Hall, E.V. McBroom, Ray Pearson, Ross Neri, Gerald Reeves, Terry Rhodes, John Wren.  These men have had diverse careers before Mt. Sylvan sainthood.  One a pilot; one with 40 years construction; a textile industry salesman; a corporate security banker;  an IBM programmer;  a Navy man;  a supervisor in cigarette manufacturing, and one a principal for Durham County schools.  Now retired from their professions, these men from Mt. Sylvan United Methodist are in their own words, "giving back to the community" and "helping those less fortunate". 

Why Habitat? 

Because, as Herb explained, "Habitat helps build homes for people in need of decent shelter who can't buy a house by conventional means, but can afford a no interest loan with Habitat." 

But why do they keep coming back? 

Because Herb - who they call the "straw boss" - keeps calling them AND, more importantly, because... they are SAINTS!!