News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Jim and Kelly Myers are seen sitting in the Alpena Church of Christ in this photo.

ALPENA — Since they began attending and preaching at the Alpena Church of Christ nearly a decade ago, Jim and Kelly Myers have felt a responsibility to help people in need.

When they began preaching in Alpena in 2015, the congregation had just five people in it, so the Myers’ focused on growing the church before they reached out to other communities and organizations to offer help.

Jim said he told the congregation that they “we ought to not be the dead sea kind of people that just take in, take in, take in but we’re not really growing ourselves.”

Locally, the church donates to various organizations including Huron Humane Society, the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena, and Hope Shores Alliance. Jim said that’s where he and Kelly play a big part in guiding the church.

“So where Kelly and I come in with the church is we believe in doing things for people and we encourage the church to do so as well which is why we’re involved with financially supporting some organizations around town at the end of October…the church plans to donate to Friends Together, the cancer survivors group,” Jim said.

The church has extended its reach beyond Alpena too, supporting a student at a preaching school in Tennessee and volunteering to help in the aftermath of the tornado that swept through Gaylord this summer.

The couple also helps out people with other things, including getting finances in line and yard work, among other things. Jim has a background in heating and air conditioning so he will oftentimes help people replace water heaters or furnaces as well.

“We just help out where we can like yard work,” Kelly said. “You know just the normal everyday needs that somebody might not be able to handle on their own.”

The Myers’ also try to help people through tough times. One act of kindness they’ve shown is helping one of their church members through a difficult time as they care for a family member. The Myers’ have stepped in to help and guide the church member in making decisions without telling them what to do.

Jim said sometimes people come up to him and Kelly to thank them for what they do, but family members of the people they’ve helped have thanked them too. After recently visiting a woman in an Alpena nursing home, the Myers’ were at an event in Oscoda and were thanked by by the woman’s relatives for visiting her.

Jim said he would encourage others to get involved in their community and help wherever they can. He remembers a quote a preacher said to him and Kelly that has stuck with him.

“Years ago, a preacher said to us when we were very new Christians, he said that, ‘Opportunity plus ability equals responsibility’ and that’s what we try to tell people is that if you’re able and you’re presented with the opportunity then it’s really your responsibility to help that person and so we try to live by that (and) we try to encourage the church here to live by that as well,” Jim said.

It can be hard to take that first step when it comes to volunteering, the Myers’ said. Jim said he’s seen times where people are afraid to volunteer because there are too many unanswered questions.

However, he said, sometimes you just need to start small.

“So my encouragement to them would when you see a need just start and if you’ve got that ability, the same thing we’ve said before, if they opportunity presents itself and you have the ability just start and don’t worry about the outcome and don’t worry about what it’s going to do for you just what it’s going to do for others,” Jim said.

If someone is interested in an organization, the best way to get involved is to reach out, they said.

“Sometimes it’s hard to make that first (step) but once you do it’s usually pretty rewarding,” Kelly said.

Difference Makers is a weekly series that profiles Northeast Michigan residents who do extraordinary things to improve their communities and the lives of others in ways that include volunteering and their professional work.

If you know a local difference maker, please contact Alyssa Ochss at 989-358-5680 or aochss@thealpenanews.com.