Amherst News-Times, 2002-07-31

              Time to register kids for school — Page 2 Police plan traffic blitz — Page 3
Amherst News-Time
WEONI SDAY, July 31, 2002
AMHERST, OHIO
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Right on schedule
The expansion at Amherst Steele High School is on
schedule, as are other school construction and expansion projects, according to the architect, who delivered a
report to the board of education last week. These new
science classrooms at the high school are nearly done.
New equipment for the high school Kitchen was being
delivered last week.
Just what you need: small-town service
by AMY PERSINGER
News-Times reporter
What could be better than a small
town hardware store with an experienced, friendly staff just waiting to
help?
How about a chance to check out
an indoor fish pond with George
and Georgette swimming around
and a cat named Bud?
Well, they've got all that and a
bag of chips at the new Sumpter's
Hardware store on Rt. 113 in South
Amherst.
The store is run by Tracey Sump-
ter with the help of her father. Bob
Sum pter, a retired construction
worker and handyman.
Add to the mix their employee of
many years and right hand man, Jeff
Kendeigh, and Tracey's very helpful
14-year-old son, Mike, and Bob
Sumptcr can't think of any reason
anyone would drive all the way out
to one of the "big boys" for anything they could get right here,
locally.
The Sumpters opened their hardware store on Oberlin Road in
Elyria about six years ago. For the
last couple of years the Sumpters
have been looking for a smaller
venue, something more small town,
than where they were located.
When the building on Rt. 113,
just west of Rt 58, became available, they jumped. They opened the
Sumpter's Hardware store on Rt. 113 In South Amherst promises experience with the added attraction of specialized service,
new store on May 24.
community." in and get what they need and get and Bob have all been working in
Bob said people will like the one- out. the hardware business  for many
"The people are nice," Tracey   on-one service they get at Sumpter's years, and both Bob and Kendeigh
said.   "I   like   the   smaller    and that it's faster for people to get       Tracey said that she. Kendeigh were in construction before thai.
The employee turnover at the huge
home improvement stores makes
that kind of experience unlikely.
Sumpter's is a full-service hardware store. Kendeigh, who Bob
jokes is their co-worker, not his son-
in-law, does window and screen repair. They thread and cut pipe, and
refill propane tanks.
"We cut keys, too." Mike, an
eighth grader at Midview, points
out
"Yeah, and they workl" his
mother laughod. She said often customers have told her that they go to
Sumpter's because they cannot get
keys made as well other places because the person doing the cutting
may never have done it before.
Everyone has quite a bit of experience behind them at Sumpter's.
Sumpter's also mixes paint and
rents carpet cleaners.
Tracey said they have customers
drive out from Elyria to their new
store because they were happy with
the service they got at the old one.
Bob said he'd like to get the word
out to other long-time customers
where they're located. They are
open Monday through Friday from 8
a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Saturdays 9
a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Sundays 11
a.m. until 3 p.m.
Anilverstonians can meet George,
Georgette and Bud at Sumpter's
grand opening on Aug. 3. Tracey,
Bob. Jeff and Mike will probably be
there, too.
They've created space for solace, God
by AMY PERSINGER
News-Times reporter
When Keith Klekota lost
his first wife to cancer nearly
20 years ago, he sought solitude to work through his
grief and draw closer to God.
Now he and his wife,
Carol, a counselor, have
started Hopewood Retreat Ministries, a ministry that includes a quiet place for people to go and spend time in
prayer and meditation away
from the pressures of everyday life.
Carol had a crisis of a different sort, but similarly painful. Divorce left Carol to
raise five children alone. She
had dreamed of a place like
Hopewood.
Carol said the name
"Hopewood" refers to the
hope that Christians find in
the cross of Jesus Christ.
The dream developed
further when she was meeting
with a counseling client and
mentioned to her that she
wished there was a place the
woman could go to and feel
safe and vulnerable: to "be
quiet" with God.
The woman said she had
seen a place like that in
North Carolina. Finally, her
dream seemed realistic. Someone, somewhere was doing
what she hoped to do, and
succeeding.
She found out that The
Snail's Pace, in North Carolina, has been providing retreat ministries and a quiet
place to get closer to God for
30 years.
She and Keith, who is a
school teacher specializing in
teaching children with special
needs, worked together and
developed a plan to start the
type of ministry they believed
They started Hopewood in
the fall of 2000
located on North Ridge
Road in Amherst. Hopewood
is a not-for-profit organization
that, in r***'*"*-* to their Quiet
Place, holds retreats for small
groups in hotels focusing on
different aspects of seeking
peace with God's help.
In May, Hopewood led a
one-ay retreat at a local hotel
for women called "Cultivating
a Quiet Heart.** The focus of
the retreat was how Christian
women can deal with anxiety.
Seventy-five women attended the retreat Carol,
along with Carol Ball, another
Christian mental health professional and Bonnie Bott, a re-
-pstered nurse, -.poke lo the
about the reasons wo-
todsy bee so much anxiety and how Christian women can deal with it.
"For anatians, anxiety
poses a pssiicularty painful
diletnou," according to the
Kkkotas.
Anxiety can be frustretitig
for a Osristian toes-use the
Bible says to "be anxious for
nothing," so on top of feeling
an-dous, they may feel guilty
CONTrNUCD on pan* 3
Ctrol and Keith Klekota have created a
place to deal with grief and grow closer to
God.
i at