Faith through action

Director Tammy Starkey says her ministry’s goal is “Restoring hope through the love of Christ.” Starting as missionaries in Mexico, Tammy and Director Joe Starkey felt God asking them to “serve the Lord” and help the community closer to their home in Louisa, Va. 

Joe and Tammy started Restoration Ministries, a community-based organization run through their home. They fundraise all year round with yard sales, through their Facebook page (Restoration Ministries), donations, and an annual fair. They also do presentations at different churches for funding. Restoration Ministries helps people experiencing poverty, helping them with necessities such as clothing, toys, house appliances and decor, baby items, and restoring homes, but their biggest goal is to “reach people with the gospel,” as Tammy says. 

Besides their home in Louisa, they travel to a little place called Metoko, W.Va., for missions. They have trailers that they bring with them to West Virginia. This year, they  worked on a coat and blanket drive, collecting coats before traveling back to West Virginia the weekend before Thanksgiving. They prepared a Thanksgiving meal to feed the community of Metoko. Last year, they were able to make 250 meals. This year, they had 22 people traveling with them, getting a lot of people from churches they have visited.

Tammy and Joe are constantly working hard to help their community, often working outside, whether it be a garage sale or packing supplies into their trailers, preparing to drive to West Virginia, or even restoring rooms or homes. As Joe says, “As long as we’re physically able, I hope that we’re able to continue.”