WEBVTT 00:00:03.666 --> 00:00:07.793 Welcome to the Meet Hope podcast, where we have conversations about faith and hope. 00:00:07.793 --> 00:00:14.512 Hope is one church made of people living out their faith through two expressions in person and online. 00:00:14.512 --> 00:00:21.545 We believe a hybrid faith experience can lead to a growing influence in our community and our world for the sake of others. 00:00:21.545 --> 00:00:23.765 Welcome to Hope. 00:00:28.521 --> 00:00:39.622 Hey, well, hello everyone, Welcome to another episode of the Meet Hope podcast, and I'm Rick and I'm excited to be your host, and today we're doing another staff interview, so I have with me Keith Mellon. 00:00:39.622 --> 00:00:41.008 Hello, keith, good to be here. 00:00:41.008 --> 00:00:42.844 Yeah, so Keith is our. 00:00:42.844 --> 00:00:45.168 Are you our newest staff member? 00:00:45.731 --> 00:00:46.493 I believe I am. 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:48.368 Yeah and so, and what's your title? 00:00:48.368 --> 00:00:51.020 I don't even know what your title is Facilities Manager. 00:00:51.020 --> 00:00:52.987 You're the Facilities Manager. 00:00:52.987 --> 00:00:57.243 Folks, you need to know that Keith does an exceptional job here. 00:00:57.243 --> 00:01:03.444 Everyone on staff, when I hear it, they'll say, oh my goodness, keith has done exactly what I needed. 00:01:03.444 --> 00:01:05.090 Keith took care of it so quickly. 00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:15.454 We have to be careful when we tell Keith, hey, we'd like to have this done, because you turn around and Keith doing it before you even walked away from him. 00:01:16.186 --> 00:01:16.980 You're efficient, pal. 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:18.243 That's how I am. 00:01:18.243 --> 00:01:20.911 If I know something's got to get done, I just get it done. 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:25.311 Yeah, and so we're spoiled by having you here so and so. 00:01:25.311 --> 00:01:26.822 So how long you've been on staff. 00:01:28.046 --> 00:01:31.236 Since October, so about four or five months yeah. 00:01:31.558 --> 00:01:32.641 And so you're fitting in well. 00:01:32.641 --> 00:01:34.551 Like I said, everybody's excited that you're here. 00:01:34.551 --> 00:01:44.912 So why don't you tell us a little bit about, about Keith, so you know your family and where you live, stuff like that, okay. 00:01:48.483 --> 00:01:49.876 So everybody knows it's my birthday. 00:01:49.876 --> 00:01:52.120 Next month I'll be 60. 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:54.183 Me and my wife live in Gibbsboro. 00:01:54.183 --> 00:01:55.484 I grew up in Gibbsboro. 00:01:56.206 --> 00:01:57.126 And your wife's name is Dawn. 00:01:57.347 --> 00:01:58.388 My wife's name is Dawn. 00:01:58.388 --> 00:02:01.612 I have two children, my daughter's 31. 00:02:01.612 --> 00:02:02.313 Her name's Amy. 00:02:02.313 --> 00:02:04.195 I have a son who's 25. 00:02:04.195 --> 00:02:07.563 His name is Kevin Dawn and I have been married. 00:02:07.563 --> 00:02:12.126 Come this October It'll be 34 years. 00:02:12.126 --> 00:02:14.088 Wow, she put up with me. 00:02:14.088 --> 00:02:19.591 Yeah, yep, so we're just living our life. 00:02:19.591 --> 00:02:25.951 We're looking at some point to move to our next stage, maybe like in a 55 and over kind of. 00:02:25.991 --> 00:02:27.093 Thing for us. 00:02:27.093 --> 00:02:30.810 But yeah, we're living in Gisboro, love it there. 00:02:30.810 --> 00:02:32.165 Like I said, I grew up there. 00:02:32.165 --> 00:02:34.467 I didn't know you grew up there, I did. 00:02:34.467 --> 00:02:43.259 I lived there from 1968 until I guess I was three or four years old Three Wow. 00:02:43.259 --> 00:02:58.512 And I moved out when I was 21, lived with my brother for a little bit and found out I didn't like that and I went back mom and dad for a little bit, saved some money and bought a house in West Berlin Wow okay. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:00.127 So three blocks outside of Voorhees. 00:03:00.127 --> 00:03:04.270 And yeah, I got married a few months after that. 00:03:04.450 --> 00:03:07.265 Okay, you guys have pets, right, you have a dog, don't you? 00:03:07.425 --> 00:03:07.967 We have a dog. 00:03:07.967 --> 00:03:08.688 What's your dog's name? 00:03:08.688 --> 00:03:09.731 My dog's name is Zoe. 00:03:09.731 --> 00:03:12.727 I rescued her from Camden. 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:20.168 I used to work for Camden County MUA and we have some properties throughout with pump stations, metering stations. 00:03:20.168 --> 00:03:26.908 We had a little dog out on our property and it was out there and it would run away and bark at me. 00:03:26.908 --> 00:03:31.532 I finally caught it and pet it and sent it on its way and did my work. 00:03:31.532 --> 00:03:35.230 A week went by and there's the dog again. 00:03:35.230 --> 00:03:42.387 So I was petting it and the neighbor came out and said, oh, somebody dumped a dog and another one, but they took the other dog. 00:03:42.387 --> 00:03:44.002 I said, oh, see if they want to take this one. 00:03:44.002 --> 00:03:53.592 And a week later I came and there's the dog running around with a leash, but nobody took her and it got away from the neighbor who said he would take it. 00:03:53.592 --> 00:03:55.915 So I decided to bring it home. 00:03:55.915 --> 00:04:03.211 I called Dawn and I said Dawn, I'm going to bring somebody home and Dawn said it better only have two legs because she knows how I am with animals. 00:04:03.211 --> 00:04:09.569 So I brought her home and $600 later she was mine with all the vet bills. 00:04:09.590 --> 00:04:10.752 Oh yeah, right, okay, all right. 00:04:10.752 --> 00:04:13.044 Well, good for Zoe. 00:04:13.165 --> 00:04:14.330 Yeah, and I had two cats. 00:04:14.330 --> 00:04:17.670 We rescued them from the AWA, okay All right. 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:25.672 Well, that sounds like you got a busy full life there, so tell me a little bit about you're recently retired also, right, and what did you do? 00:04:25.672 --> 00:04:26.473 You mentioned MUA, yeah. 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:31.725 So I started my career with miscellaneous jobs. 00:04:31.745 --> 00:04:40.285 Just before I turned 21, I started working for Borey's Township, started on the actual back of a recycling truck and worked my way up to a driver About halfway through my career there. 00:04:40.285 --> 00:04:41.910 I spent almost 23 years there. 00:04:41.910 --> 00:04:44.990 About halfway through I switched over to the sewer department. 00:04:44.990 --> 00:04:49.310 From there I found that there was DEP licenses you can get. 00:04:49.310 --> 00:04:53.430 Every town has to have a DEP licensed operator. 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:56.127 So I started getting my licenses. 00:04:56.127 --> 00:05:05.851 It's a process and for like the highest license, it takes 10 years of being on the job plus schooling and that kind of thing. 00:05:05.932 --> 00:05:11.086 So when I was at vorhees I was up to c3c stands for collections. 00:05:11.086 --> 00:05:34.468 So I got that and, um, I just really had enough of vorhees and put a couple feelers out and camden county called me up and basically offered me the job on the spot and within a year I got my next license up, which was the C4, which is the highest one you can get, and a few months after that they made me a supervisor. 00:05:34.468 --> 00:05:37.319 A few years after that I became assistant chief. 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:44.958 I guess I was assistant chief for about three years and they moved me up to chief Okay, and that's the position I retired from. 00:05:46.593 --> 00:05:49.040 And so you just recently retired, right Last year. 00:05:49.430 --> 00:05:51.377 No, it's been long, three years. 00:05:51.377 --> 00:05:52.651 You've been retired three years now. 00:05:52.651 --> 00:05:53.172 Oh, okay, all right. 00:05:53.192 --> 00:06:01.783 Yeah, all right, and so let's just backtrack a second, because I didn't ask you what does a facilities manager at Hope Church do? 00:06:02.124 --> 00:06:06.291 Everything, A lot more than I thought. 00:06:06.291 --> 00:06:08.535 It is similar to what I did at the Camden County. 00:06:08.535 --> 00:06:12.060 I had 29 pump stations, 16 metering stations. 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:23.158 It's usually just taking care of the grounds and any facilities, if there's electrical work that gets done or needs to be done. 00:06:23.158 --> 00:06:23.519 I do what I can. 00:06:23.538 --> 00:06:35.512 You know, if we can't we'll call somebody in, but I'm a hands-on type person, so you're making sure that you're managing the property here and you're also interfacing with contractors for work that needs to be done. 00:06:35.512 --> 00:06:39.516 Correct, okay, and so how'd you end up coming to Hope? 00:06:39.516 --> 00:06:45.163 Not on staff, but you started as an attender, right? 00:06:45.423 --> 00:06:47.225 I started as an onliner. 00:06:47.766 --> 00:06:48.346 Ah, okay. 00:06:51.410 --> 00:06:51.850 I think we talked. 00:06:51.850 --> 00:06:52.894 We had a small groups meeting last night. 00:06:52.894 --> 00:07:02.973 We were talking about how most people come online first, and that's exactly what I did we went to a different church and it just seemed to be dying and it just didn't seem like a fit for us anymore. 00:07:02.973 --> 00:07:17.956 Along came COVID, and it was kind of an excuse to not go to church because it was all online, and then, when it started being in person again, we went back, but it just didn't feel right. 00:07:17.956 --> 00:07:20.882 So we decided we were going to look for another church. 00:07:20.882 --> 00:07:27.982 So we went online and watched a few different places and we decided that we liked what we saw. 00:07:27.982 --> 00:07:31.175 So we came Well, I shouldn't say we came. 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:34.740 My wife sent me as the spy to scout it out. 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:51.297 So I came and saw this crazy guy dancing around and jumping around on stage, Found out his name was Andrew and I said oh, my wife is going to love this, Dawn will really like this, and the message was great. 00:07:51.297 --> 00:07:53.678 I just felt welcomed. 00:07:53.678 --> 00:08:01.389 And so the next week I brought Dawn and she said yeah, I think we found our new church and we've been here since. 00:08:01.528 --> 00:08:03.096 All right, and how long ago was that? 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:05.314 About a year and a half ago. 00:08:05.454 --> 00:08:06.336 Okay, a year and a half. 00:08:06.596 --> 00:08:06.817 All right. 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:07.800 All right. 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:13.903 And then along the way, we met and I invited you to a small group, right. 00:08:14.122 --> 00:08:16.430 Yes, and it's strange because I wanted to feel more a part of something. 00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:27.656 And it's strange because I wanted to feel more a part of something and my wife said she was praying about it and you happened to approach me and ask me to join a small group, which I did. 00:08:28.077 --> 00:08:34.100 And we've been doing that together for about a year now, right, yeah, yeah okay, I guess this is our third one. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:35.861 And it's working out all right. 00:08:35.861 --> 00:08:37.062 Yeah, it's working out pretty good. 00:08:37.062 --> 00:08:38.222 Yeah, I like it it's making me all right. 00:08:38.243 --> 00:08:39.884 Yeah, it's working out pretty good. 00:08:39.884 --> 00:08:40.245 Yeah, I like it. 00:08:40.245 --> 00:08:46.307 It's making me feel like a part of something more, and so, yeah, I'm happy. 00:08:47.169 --> 00:08:47.510 That's great. 00:08:47.510 --> 00:08:54.442 Now, during that, you also told me that when you retired, you were looking to do something with you. 00:08:54.442 --> 00:08:58.763 Know, because you're retired You're fortunate to retire, as I consider you younger, yeah. 00:08:59.405 --> 00:09:00.750 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:05.522 So, yeah, I was 57, and I went six months without doing anything. 00:09:05.522 --> 00:09:09.360 Right, I had shoulder surgery, so three months of that was like a rehab. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:19.275 After that, though, I went three months, and I just said I have to do something, and I wanted to do something meaningful, something meaningful yeah, I remember you telling me that. 00:09:20.730 --> 00:09:23.139 And friends of mine own a bus company and they asked me to come work. 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:24.515 They said they really needed a driver. 00:09:24.515 --> 00:09:31.087 So I did that and I tried to look at that as a way to serve, because I'm bringing kids safely to school and you still do that now. 00:09:31.087 --> 00:09:31.970 I still do that today. 00:09:32.070 --> 00:09:36.312 Yeah, I still do that today, and so I just tried to look at it as a way to serve. 00:09:36.312 --> 00:09:38.676 And so I just tried to look at it as a way to serve and I was. 00:09:38.676 --> 00:09:42.821 You know, the kids don't act grateful or anything like that. 00:09:42.821 --> 00:09:54.000 I don't expect them to, but you know I make sure the bus is clean, I get them there safely, I'm on time, I don't ever miss, so I'm dependable for them, you know. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:01.293 So that was important to me, but it just seemed like I was missing something. 00:10:01.293 --> 00:10:06.475 And we happened to be at the small groups meeting and I was talking to you about. 00:10:06.475 --> 00:10:09.602 I just felt like I was missing something. 00:10:09.602 --> 00:10:11.317 I wanted to do something more meaningful. 00:10:11.317 --> 00:10:22.921 I was at the point in my life where money's not really a thing for me and I just wanted to do something meaningful to serve God more and be more meaningful to me personally. 00:10:24.970 --> 00:10:44.740 And a little bit of time went by and I know at the food bank there was possibly an opening because Scott was there who was at our small men's meeting and we talked and he's like you know, that might be a fit for you. 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:50.100 And I considered, I prayed about it and I told God, if it's the right thing, open the door, if it's not, close it. 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:53.557 And I didn't hear anything. 00:10:53.557 --> 00:10:55.419 I said, okay, maybe that door's closed. 00:10:55.419 --> 00:11:00.331 I think it was the pastor, pastor Jeff said hey, we have an opening. 00:11:00.572 --> 00:11:02.933 I think you'll be the perfect fit, and he goes. 00:11:02.933 --> 00:11:05.054 Some other people already brought it to my attention. 00:11:05.054 --> 00:11:14.903 So it was not for the food pantry, but it was for facilities manager and it's basically what I did for Camden County MUA. 00:11:15.342 --> 00:11:20.466 I said, yeah, I'll give it a whirl, and I love it, love it, yeah, so do you feel it's bringing that meaning you were looking for? 00:11:21.070 --> 00:11:21.350 It does. 00:11:21.350 --> 00:11:26.143 I feel like I spend a few hours here every day, but I'd like to spend more. 00:11:26.529 --> 00:11:27.211 It's just something. 00:11:27.432 --> 00:11:33.177 when I get here, I just want to do the best I can and make a difference. 00:11:33.778 --> 00:11:38.961 That's great, and I said just to speak for all the staff. 00:11:38.961 --> 00:11:46.957 We've all experienced you doing exactly that that you support us in the ministry. 00:11:46.957 --> 00:11:49.302 That needs to be done and you're doing ministry yourself. 00:11:50.409 --> 00:11:53.256 So I never looked at it as ministry, but truth. 00:11:53.496 --> 00:11:55.321 Yeah, yeah, so, but yeah, so, so. 00:11:55.321 --> 00:11:55.942 So what's? 00:11:55.942 --> 00:11:59.515 What's one of the most challenging parts of, of your job here at the church? 00:12:00.750 --> 00:12:09.394 It's just my time trying to figure out what I can do in this amount of time, right, okay, there's so many things. 00:12:09.394 --> 00:12:17.243 You wouldn't really think that there's a lot of facilities managing to do, but there is a lot and there's a lot of work and it's continuous. 00:12:18.571 --> 00:12:24.783 Yeah, it's a big building and with a lot of things happening and a lot of ministry going on, so it's active. 00:12:24.783 --> 00:12:26.994 So that's got to make it challenging. 00:12:26.994 --> 00:12:36.581 And then what's nice, though, is it's not a museum where it doesn't get used right, it's getting used, getting used and abused, and you know what. 00:12:36.642 --> 00:12:38.429 That's what we're here for, right, good work. 00:12:38.630 --> 00:12:39.873 Good work, hey, keith. 00:12:39.873 --> 00:12:41.254 So thanks so much. 00:12:41.254 --> 00:12:43.918 Glad that you're on staff and that's terrific. 00:12:43.918 --> 00:12:45.441 But I want to do some. 00:12:45.441 --> 00:12:48.504 This is a little fun section, okay, at least I think it's fun. 00:12:48.504 --> 00:12:56.063 I'm going to answer some questions and we want to get a little better idea of who Keith is. 00:12:56.063 --> 00:12:57.836 What's your favorite pizza topping? 00:12:57.836 --> 00:12:58.658 Pepperoni? 00:12:58.658 --> 00:13:02.259 Everybody says pepperoni, okay. 00:13:02.831 --> 00:13:04.822 Second favorite is extra cheese, extra cheese, okay good. 00:13:04.822 --> 00:13:05.625 Second favorite is extra cheese. 00:13:05.645 --> 00:13:06.129 Extra cheese. 00:13:06.129 --> 00:13:07.092 Okay, how about? 00:13:07.092 --> 00:13:08.719 Are you a morning person or evening person? 00:13:09.812 --> 00:13:11.197 I would say I'm a morning person. 00:13:11.197 --> 00:13:12.655 I'm up at 5 every morning. 00:13:12.951 --> 00:13:14.277 Now have you always been a morning person. 00:13:15.150 --> 00:13:18.177 Since I started my real career 5 o'clock. 00:13:18.177 --> 00:13:19.761 I'm up and ready to go. 00:13:20.571 --> 00:13:23.159 Okay, because you're picking up kids off the bus pretty early too, right. 00:13:23.250 --> 00:13:23.923 Yeah, I'm there early. 00:13:23.923 --> 00:13:24.635 Go, Okay, because you're picking up kids on the bus pretty early too, right? 00:13:24.635 --> 00:13:24.639 Yeah, I'm there early. 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:27.879 My first pickup is 6.15, but I'm in work at 5.30. 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:29.383 I always am early. 00:13:29.383 --> 00:13:30.009 That's how I operate. 00:13:30.792 --> 00:13:34.402 And before we started recording, we already talked about this a little bit. 00:13:34.402 --> 00:13:35.673 But do you drink coffee? 00:13:35.673 --> 00:13:36.336 Coffee order. 00:13:37.580 --> 00:13:37.820 I do. 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:40.633 I drink my mocha coffee cream sugar. 00:13:40.633 --> 00:13:44.739 Okay, and I know bagels, right Bagels yeah, I stop at the bagel man every day. 00:13:44.739 --> 00:13:46.041 Bagel every morning. 00:13:46.041 --> 00:13:47.563 That's what we talk about Monday through Friday. 00:13:47.663 --> 00:13:48.365 Monday through Friday. 00:13:48.365 --> 00:13:52.157 Okay, all right, and how about a favorite show or movie you've watched recently? 00:13:54.481 --> 00:13:55.182 Breaking Bad. 00:13:55.182 --> 00:13:56.614 It's a series. 00:13:56.673 --> 00:13:59.280 Uh-huh, okay, it's a good series it. 00:13:59.321 --> 00:14:01.802 It is good, it's captivating. 00:14:01.863 --> 00:14:04.285 Okay, all right, I'm thinking about watching it a second time. 00:14:04.285 --> 00:14:05.927 Yeah, you want to see Walter White again. 00:14:05.927 --> 00:14:08.476 Yes, how about a book you've read recently? 00:14:10.250 --> 00:14:12.940 I don't read a lot of books, so I'll go with Garden City. 00:14:13.009 --> 00:14:13.230 Yeah. 00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:14.475 By John Mark Homer John Mark. 00:14:14.517 --> 00:14:14.778 Homer. 00:14:14.778 --> 00:14:22.059 We read that in our small group and, like I said, I'm not a reader, but that was easy reading and I enjoyed it. 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:24.924 And there's another one of his books I'm thinking about getting. 00:14:25.225 --> 00:14:28.942 Yeah, yeah, we're just talking about it right, practicing the. 00:14:28.981 --> 00:14:29.684 Way, practicing the Way. 00:14:29.705 --> 00:14:33.798 Yeah, yeah, I think that's going to be our next small group, so we do a little small group plug for that. 00:14:33.798 --> 00:14:38.010 And how about your favorite local place to eat Local? 00:14:38.071 --> 00:14:38.793 place to eat. 00:14:38.793 --> 00:14:42.421 Well, we like the Piccoli for the wings. 00:14:43.283 --> 00:14:45.067 Ah, okay With the one on 206? 00:14:45.067 --> 00:14:45.067 . 00:14:45.087 --> 00:14:45.729 The one on 206,. 00:14:45.749 --> 00:14:47.995 Yeah, yeah, okay, that's a little bit of a ride, but it's worth it. 00:14:47.995 --> 00:14:49.038 Yeah, the winter good. 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:53.320 And just as a plug, if you go on Wednesdays, all you can eat, is it really? 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:53.721 It is? 00:14:53.721 --> 00:14:55.712 It's like 15, 16 bucks all you can eat. 00:14:55.712 --> 00:14:58.596 I didn't know that. 00:14:58.677 --> 00:15:00.059 Okay, golden nugget wings. 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:01.120 I have never had them. 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:07.547 I want to have them Okay we have to go then, Okay, because I think golden nugget are the best wings, that's what I hear and I really want to try it. 00:15:07.626 --> 00:15:08.287 Okay, I just never have. 00:15:08.647 --> 00:15:12.311 All right, all right, we'll do it, we're definitely going to Lunch date that's going to happen. 00:15:12.311 --> 00:15:13.111 Yep, all right. 00:15:13.111 --> 00:15:14.813 All right, we're going to wrap up right here. 00:15:14.813 --> 00:15:18.357 I want to ask you what is Last question? 00:15:18.357 --> 00:15:20.721 What is bringing you hope today? 00:15:21.642 --> 00:15:25.206 What is bringing me hope today is my faith in God. 00:15:25.206 --> 00:15:33.240 That brings me, personally, hope every day and through my struggles I know God's going to be there and be with me. 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:38.198 And as far as bringing me to hope, the church, it's the people in the community here. 00:15:38.438 --> 00:15:39.761 Okay, Great answer, Keith. 00:15:39.761 --> 00:15:40.663 Hey, thanks so much. 00:15:40.663 --> 00:15:42.174 This wasn't so bad, was it Not? 00:15:42.174 --> 00:15:48.412 One too bad All right, listeners, thanks so much. 00:15:48.412 --> 00:15:48.974 This wasn't so bad, was it? 00:15:48.974 --> 00:15:49.395 Not one too bad? 00:15:49.395 --> 00:15:50.701 All right, hey, listeners, thanks so much for being a part of this. 00:15:50.701 --> 00:15:51.563 Hope you got to know Keith a little better. 00:15:51.563 --> 00:15:54.212 If you see him in the lobby, see him in the church, just stop by and thank him for the work he does. 00:15:54.212 --> 00:15:56.259 And you all have a great day. 00:15:56.941 --> 00:15:57.140 Yeah. 00:16:01.230 --> 00:16:05.822 Thanks for being a part of the Hope Community as we continue our conversations about faith and hope. 00:16:05.822 --> 00:16:10.239 If you don't already, please join us for worship on Sundays or on demand. 00:16:10.239 --> 00:16:16.200 You can learn more at meethopeorg or find us on socials at meethopechurch.