Lake Sawyer Christian Church and Stevenson Roofing joined forces this week to fix a hole in a roof where the rain gets in.

Brian Sytsma, a member of the Lake Sawyer Christian Church, said the James Brigade from the church and Stevenson Roofing found a way to replace a roof for a woman who recently lost her husband of 40 years. (She asked that her name not be used.)

Sytsma wrote in an email the James Brigade is, “… named after the verse in James 1 that says that true religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”  He said the James Brigade goes to a widow or single mother’s home once a month to do handyman work or yard chores.

His James Brigade team of three or four men helped the woman who lost her husband in October. She lives north of Ravensdale.

“On many Saturdays over the winter months we would spend as much time just sitting and talking with her as working around the house,” Sytsma wrote. “In February, she told us that she was concerned about her roof, since there had been a few leaks. She showed us an estimate she had received from a roofing company. It was over $12,000, which would wipe out a chunk of her savings.”

During a period of heavy rain in March Sytsma said her roof began leaking.

“She called us, not knowing what to do,” Sytsma wrote. “We are not licensed or bonded, so we cannot take on major repairs. She has awesome neighbors who regularly check in on her and help take care of her. One of her neighbors got on her roof during the rainstorm and applied a temporary tarp covering to stop the leaking.”

Sytsma said she had heard of Stevenson Roofing, “and that they had a great reputation for being a local Maple Valley company who does excellent work.”

He called Serena Chalmers, the office manager at Stevenson, who listened and told him Jon Stevenson would get back to him.

“I was thrilled several days later when she confirmed that they were working with a supplier who could provide the materials for significant discount and that they would do the labor costs at a fraction of the normal cost,”Sytsma said.

Stevenson said by phone Tuesday Chalmers, “Took it upon herself to get it going.”

Chalmes said she told Sytsma, “Jon has been known to do this. I worked on the backend and he (Jon listened to me).”

She said Chris West from Washington Cedar & Supply in Auburn gave them a “great deal” on the roofing material allowing the project to be completed.

Stevenson said when it came time to do the job, “We showed up and the lady said I don’t have any money. I told her the church and I would take care of it.”

By the end of the day Tuesday the new roof was nearly complete.

Stevenson has been in business for 27 years, most of those years working out of his home in Maple Valley. He recently moved his office to Renton.

He said one of the keys to his success is he never takes money upfront.

“I want to make sure the customer is happy,” Stevenson said.

Sytsma said the project, “… has been so positive, from the roofing company, to the supplier, to the neighbors and the men on the James Brigade team. It brings out the best in us when we can work together to advocate on someone’s behalf who doesn’t have the influence or the resources to help themselves.”