Our opinion: River Hills Church sets great example for giving

Thanks to River Hills Community Church, construction can realistically begin next year on a new multiuse facility to serve local children and their families.

The church last week donated $75,000 toward a project that effectively doubles the size of the Stellie J. Jackson Enrichment Center. The money covers about half the projected cost and gives a huge boost to a capital campaign that began about two years ago.

Named for the first African-American to serve on the Clover School Board, the Center grew out of an initiative seven years ago by a group called Roosevelt Watch to tutor local children. That grew into a summer program and afterschool activities four days a week for children in prekindergarten through second grade.

The current building is a 900-square-foot former mobile home the town of Clover renovated for the enrichment center and has limited capacity. When it’s completed, the new facility, with four classrooms, two bathrooms, a conference room and lobby, will be 2,100 square feet and double the number of children it can serve.

That might have seemed ambitious a couple of year ago, but now the goal is more than realistic – it’s a reality.

River Hills Pastor Gayle Montgomery and her flock deserve a world of credit not only for making such a big impact, but also for setting an example. The church decided to practice tithing, or setting aside 10 percent of income, to create a fund for giving. Recognition also goes to church member Monique Boekhout and the rest of the missions committee at River Hills. They took note of the good work the Stellie J. Jackson Enrichment Center was doing and decided it was worthy of the help.

The amount of money they and the rest of the church raised goes above and beyond what anyone could have expected. We hope everyone involved is as proud of what they accomplished as we are of them.

Want to help? Cash donations can by made to the Stellie J. Jackson Enrichment Center and mailed to P.O. Box 1352, Clover SC 29710.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 7:58 PM with the headline "Our opinion: River Hills Church sets great example for giving."