Community Heroes: Sheldon Livesay’s ‘Of One Accord Ministry’ provides services to those in need

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Of One Accord Ministry provides food and other needs to the Rogersville community, operates a store and provides resources for those in need.

It’s a labor of love for Sheldon Livesay, who started the ministry 36 years ago.

Almost four decades ago, Livesay saw a need and was inspired to bring churches together to help those who were food insecure in the area.

“We said, ‘Together we can make this where everybody’s served one time a month, everybody that needs food,” he said. “But we don’t have multiple people taking advantage of the churches. So we started in the bedroom of my home. We grew to a little storefront on a side street here in Rogersville just a year later and then into a main street building down the street.”

From there, Of One Accord grew and expanded.

“We have three food pantries, [and] a Meals on Wheels feeding program,” Livesay said. “And the key thing is that it’s grown to about 30 programs that we do all through the year. We do those all the time and then we have seasonal programs, the home repair programs in the summertime host the mission teams that come in, and it’s just exciting all the time.”

The ministry is able to expand in so many ways because of the number of volunteers. They have a family support center, thrift store and employment help center. Livesay said last year 300 volunteers gave 60,000 hours.

“We’ve got a couple or three that have worked 25 years and they’ve never received a penny compensation other than just the benefit of going home, knowing that they’ve helped people,” he said. “That is communities helping the people around, helping our neighbors, and that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Building and maintaining the health of Rogersville and surrounding communities is what fuels Livesay to continue to serve. He said it’s not just something he is supposed to do; he truly loves what he does.

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