UPDATE: NewsChannel 3 reached out to Pastor Todd Hodges and learned that the church still needs help with repairs. Local handyman Curtis Harrell is still donating materials and time to the church and others in the community have done the same, but there is still more work to do.
Chesapeake, Va. - Seven-year-old Jonah Hodges has big plans.
"I'm going to be the next pastor of this church some day," Hodges says.
Until that day, Jonah's dad Pastor Todd Hodges, is holding down the Bethel Assembly of God Church in Chesapeake.
"I've got to stick around. I've get to get this church looking sweet for Jonah when he takes over," Pastor Hodges said.
That's been easier said than done. The 89-year-old church has been in a constant state of repair since Hodges took over the building 13 years ago.
"We've got leaky roofs. We've got electricity problems, pipes burst back in our nursery area and it ruined our carpet back there."
Hodges is asking for the community to take action. He's hoping to raise $30,000 but will take any help. He and his family do all the work in the church themselves since Hodges only makes 12,000 a year. He leads a congregation of about 40, most of them are seniors.
"Even with all the troubles that we've had in this church and all the trials we've had in this church, their faith has been strong," Hodges says.
Hodges was rewarded for his faith on Tuesday.
A local handyman named Curtis Harrell reached out to Hodges to see if he could help fix the church.
Harrell says he was a former drug addict who through religion was able to get clean and start his business, A Grade Solutions Home Improvement.
Harrell says he will work on fixing the roof and the holes in the building, He is asking for nothing in return.He also says he knows other trade workers who can help with things like plumbing and flooring.
Harrell believes this is God calling him to take action.
If you would like to take action and help the Hodges repair their church, you can click here to visit their 'Go Fund Me' page.
