The joyful sounds of children echoing through the activity building at First Baptist Church in Llano are a weekly reminder to church members Neiland and Sherry Fain that their labor the last two decades has not been in vain.
Twenty-four years ago, the couple ventured to their first project with Texans on Mission Church Builders. They worked alongside a diversely skilled team of volunteers to construct the FBC Llano activity building. The duo retired from their voluntary positions last month at 85-years-old after participating in over 50 projects.
At age 60, Neiland was laid off from his job of 39 years in the oil field. Unable to find employment, he turned to Church Builders, where he discovered he could use some of the carpentry skills he learned as a young man.
“It’s hard to describe the joy that I get from doing the work,” Neiland said. “It’s a passion. You’re serving the Lord, and you see some results of what you’re doing.”
On job sites, Neiland primarily helped with carpentry and electrical work then later in the tool trailer, while Sherry prepared snacks and attended a daily Bible study with some of the other women.
From constructing a ministry center in Rockport and a pregnancy care center in Gilmer to building churches across the state, each job posed a unique opportunity to work alongside like-minded believers with a common goal in mind.
“We have become a family of such with the Builders,” Neiland and Sherry said. “The fellowship is great, and it’s exciting to see you’re doing something that has great results.”
The Fains’ final project in March 2024 held significance for Neiland. The Builders team converted a former monastery in Corpus Christi into a mentoring center for Majesty Outdoors, which ministers to fatherless children – a reality Neiland knows far too well.
“My father died when I was 6 years old,” he said. “That project gave me a feeling that I could do something that would have a lasting effect for kids who were like me. It gave me hope that some of these structures we built over the years will win the lost to the Lord long after we’re gone.”
As 60 children eager to learn about God’s Word and grow in their faiths enter the activity building in Llano every Wednesday, the Fains are reminded of the journey that began 24 years ago in that very building.
“We see that building used in glorious ways,” Neiland shared. “Many baptisms have come from kids in that building. It blesses our hearts to see the response that can come from this work.”
Upon reflection, the couple said the last two decades have been well-spent and encourage anyone nearing retirement to consider giving back through volunteer opportunities like Texans on Mission Builders.
“It’ll be the most satisfying thing you’ve ever done in your life,” Sherry said.
The Fains recently celebrated their retirement from Church Builders with many of their friends who they’ve come to call family over the years.
“Neiland and Sherry will surely be missed on the builders team,” said Builders Director Wayne Pritchard. “They never shy away from a task and bring laughter and a loving spirit wherever they are.”
Texans on Mission Builders ministries – including Church, Camp and Cabinet Builders – empower churches, camps and other ministries to accomplish their God-given visions of expanding the kingdom of God. Click here to learn more about opportunities to volunteer with Texans on Mission Builders.