Mission group helps St. Regis

ST. REGIS – A church group from Arkansas was in Mineral County last week to do a variety of community service projects including clean-up efforts and work for the St. Regis schools.

Approximately 20 members of the New Hope Fellowship fanned out across the county, picking up trash, painting the bleachers and classrooms at St. Regis High School and washing windows. The group provided a vital helping hand to the school as it prepares to welcome students returning for classes in a few short weeks.

Coordinating the effort was Chris Quinlivan, a member of the New Day Fellowship church in St. Regis and Haugan. Quinlivan said the group was helping out wherever they were needed. On Tuesday, July 29, the help was needed at the school in St. Regis.

“They needed a little more manpower here,” Quinlivan said. “It would take them all day to do these things. We can knock them out in a few hours. We are trying to give back.”

Quinlivan said the group from Arkansas, combined with locals from the New Day Fellowship, weren’t just helping out in St. Regis. Quinlivan said several communities in Mineral County benefitted from the group’s work.

“We have done work in Superior as well,” Quinlivan said. “We cleaned the fairgrounds a few weeks ago.  We’ve also done some work in Haugan. We are trying to help out all of Mineral County. It’s not just here in St. Regis. It’s anywhere we can help.”

Quinlivan said in Superior, at the fairgrounds, the group did some grounds maintenance as well as helping some disabled locals with their homes. One of the members of the group from Arkansas said the goal of their visit was to help out in any way they could.

Eddie Lyndreth of Springdale, AR said when the group heard about the opportunity to help out Mineral County, they loaded their bus and drove halfway across the country. Lyndreth said the group, comprised mostly of young people, was happy to spend their summer doing what was needed for communities in Mineral County.

“We wanted to come and serve this community,” Lyndreth said. “We are a youth group that has raised money and worked hard to be here. We wanted to come up here and do what we can.”

Lyndreth said the group would be painting classrooms and bleachers, washing windows and picking up trash along the on-ramp of Interstate 90 in St. Regis. He said the group would be spending only a few days in the area before moving on to other locations that can benefit from their efforts.

“We were told there was an opportunity here to help,” Lyndreth said. “That’s why we are here. We do work projects in the mornings and in the evenings we have music and entertainment. These kids have really worked hard to raise money to support this mission trip.”