This was supposed to be the year that Kevin Cummings of Flower Mound took time off from leadership positions at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, but an off-the-cuff remark to a friend has kept him busier than ever establishing a new ministry that lends a helping hand.
While kidding around with a friend, Cummings said the words popped out of his mouth that he was going to start a ministry to help widows, and now six months later, Honey Dudes is a thriving group.
The name of the ministry is a play on words taken from “honey-do’s,” otherwise known as chores typically assigned by a wife to her husband, such as fixing a leaky faucet or repairing a fence post. But it occurred to Cummings that some members of our community don’t have a spouse on hand to help out with those types of chores, and thus Honey Dudes was born.
The 48-year-old salesman said a group of about 60 local men are now set up to assist widows, single moms, and military wives whose husbands are deployed.
The bible verse that inspired Cummings to form Honey Dudes is James 1:27, which talks about looking after orphans and widows in their distress.
“We send two men, sometimes accompanied by one of our male youths, to take care of the honey-do. We try to focus on the little repairs and chores around the house that take about an hour or less,” Cummings said, adding that they are not set up to re-plumb or re-wire an entire house. “We do indoor or outside work, whatever helps.”
The seed money for the effort was raised last winter at a golf tournament that Cummings organized, and that initial $700 has been supplemented by donations. The Honey Dudes do not accept payment for the work they do. He referenced a quote often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel continuously, and when needed, use words,” adding that the men don’t actively witness to those they help, but do so by example.
Cummings said the new ministry has been a real joy, and they’ve completed about 30 jobs this year, including several for Christian Community Action.
“We can serve in our own backyard; we don’t have to go across the world to find people to help,” he said of the group of about 60 men, most of them members of Trietsch. The group, however, is open to any man that wants to serve, not only to Trietsch members, and the Honey Dudes are happy to help people outside their church family as well.
For Cummings and the other Honey Dudes, he said they get as much as they give from completing a chore for someone that needs their help. “I get to see the look in the guys’ eyes when they finish the job. When we are done, there is closure. We finished the job fighting the good fight,” he said.
Cummings said some other churches have been inspired to start similar programs, and he would love to see the concept spread. Whether you are one needing help with a household chore, you’d like to volunteer for Honey Dudes, or you belong to a church that would like to start their own group, you can contact Cummings at [email protected].
Pictured above: Kevin, Drew and Garrett Cummings, Pete and Rachel Campbell, Ben, Austin, and Brenden Alves, Mathew Pokorney, Brad and Colton Martin, Russ and Mathew Webb, Jeff Snowden, Steve Martin, Dart West.
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