By Jill Waggoner

Six years ago, a dozen ministers and local church members, led by those from Cross Style Church, decided to investigate what they had been told — that a small homeless community was growing in Wilson County. On a winter day, they went into the “woods” of Lebanon behind one of our busiest thoroughfares and found evidence of a homeless camp, including tents, groceries and diapers. Troubled and burdened by this discovery, the small group decided on one simple goal: No one would freeze to death in Wilson County. This goal ultimately lead to the formation of Compassionate Hands, a ministry to the homeless population with a vision “that the Wilson County community of faith be Christ’s hands and feet to our neighbors in need.”

Wilson County is buzzing with new growth — economic and population — creating wonderful opportunities and experiences for its people, but with that growth has come an unintended consequence. As property values rise and rent payments go up, many families and individuals are having trouble finding or keeping affordable housing. In addition, as word spreads about the job creation happening in Middle Tennessee, people from all over the country have arrived on a search for opportunity, but without much of a plan. These factors, along with the inescapable difficulties of life, have left a small portion of our population without a home.

In our region, homelessness is assessed by the Homeless Advocacy for Rural Tennessee Continuum of Care, which is organized under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Their most recent “point-intime” count found 25 homeless individuals in our county on a night in January 2018.

Compassionate Hands provides temporary shelter for men and women in Wilson County every night in the winter months. A large network of volunteers from churches of all sizes keeps the system running each night. Those in need of shelter arrive at Cross Style church for dinner each evening. After a short vetting process, these individuals are taken to three different host sites — two for the men and one for women. A rotating group of churches offer their facilities to house the men and women. The homeless are provided a safe and warm place to sleep, as well as a warm breakfast. Laundry service and the ability to take a shower are also available. In the morning, a bus takes the individuals to various places across the county and leaves them with a sack lunch.

The coordination among so many churches and volunteers requires significant oversight and this October, John Grant, formerly a minister at College Hills Church of Christ, began serving as the full time minister and executive director of Compassionate Hands.

Grant was a part of that original group who visited the homeless camp and began ministering to the homeless in 2013. He is the first full time staff member for Compassionate Hands. Though the decision to leave College Hills was a sad one for Grant, it was in many ways, an easy one, because of his desire to serve the community, his network of friends at churches and his personal giftings.

“I think it was a call from God. This was a ‘John Grant’ shaped role,” he said.

Grant is joined by a board of directors in leading the ministry, each from a different church in the area. They include Dawn Bradford from Fairview Church, Joyce Gaines from Cook’s United Methodist Church, Mark Taylor from The Glade, Michelle Wilde from First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, and Steve Wheeley of the Salvation Army.

All of those involved in the ministry are quick to point out misconceptions about the homeless. They regularly and lovingly refer to them as their “homeless friends.” Many of those in need who have come to Compassionate Hands have full-time jobs and cars. Many are locals who grew up in our community and have fallen on hard times.

In Grant’s experience, he estimates that “one third have an addiction. One third have mental illness and a third have had bad luck.”

“I was scared and concerned about inviting homeless people into our church building,” Grant said describing his church’s first evenings with Compassionate Hands. “What I’ve learned is that the homeless people were also scared of us and skeptical of churches. They’re spending the night with strangers too. Homeless people are really not that different from you and me.”

“The Good Samaritan is one of our key stories,” Grant said, referencing the story found in Luke 10. “We think Jesus is bringing us people who are battered and bruised by life.”

Brandt Waggoner, lead pastor at Fairview Church, said their partnership with Compassionate Hands is important for their church.

“These are people in need right in the middle of our community,” Waggoner said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to that. In addition, it’s remarkable how the churches across our area are seamlessly partnering together to serve this group. We want to be a part of that.” Dawn Bradford has served with the ministry for three years and says Compassionate Hands has “absolutely changed my life.” Bradford continues, “Yes, it’s inconvenient and sometimes a little uncomfortable, but it’s not about me, it’s about living out the biblical principle of thinking of others before your own needs.” John Ashman, a member of Faith Lutheran Church, is a volunteer with Compassionate Hands, along with his wife Bonnie. Their experience serving has made a profound impact on their lives. “Often when we see homeless people on the street, we may see them as lazy, dirty, and not worthy of respect. But when we sit by them during the evening or morning and talk with them about their lives, we see that they are usually people who have had a some bad breaks,” Ashman said. One of the most emotional moments for Ashman came last Christmas. “Due to the generosity of our church members, we were able to put together backpacks with a number of food items, personal care products and some warm hats and gloves,” Ashman said. “Church members wrapped the items, so that on Christmas morning, they were able to open the presents, just as if they were living with their families. One man said ‘It’s been a long time since anybody gave me a Christmas present.” Every year, the ministry has experienced growth. At the close of last winter, 34 churches from 16 faith traditions had contributed to Compassionate Hands, providing over 5,000 beds and 11,000 meals to 400 homeless individuals since 2013. “Every winter we’ve seen two or three people who go from homeless to established,” Grant said. “They’ve gotten on their feet, into housing and are now volunteering in our ministry.” The leadership of Compassionate Hands desires to meet even more needs of the homeless. Their first objective is to secure an office space, but hope the years to come allow them to be able to provide shelter for families with children, as well as lockers, classroom space, and computer lab. For more information about Compassionate Hands or if you or your church would like to be involved, please visit compassionatehandstn.org, like their Facebook page or email John Grant at jgrant1817@gmail. com.

By Becky Andrews

2014 was a big year for Dr (Retired USAF Colonel) Paul and Elaine Nawiesniak. After an impressive military dental career that spanned nearly three decades and moves to eight different bases; including one in Japan, Dr. Nawiesniak decided it was time to retire and begin a new adventure right here in Wilson County.

While military service certainly enabled Dr. Nawiesniak and his family to travel many roads, there was one road he had not taken; private practice. “We had visited middle Tennessee several times and fell in love with this area. So, it made sense to concentrate our search for a practice opportunity in Tennessee. We explored several options before deciding to purchase the thriving dental practice of the now retired Dr. Wayne Johnson in Lebanon.” Dr. Nawiesniak continues, “Lebanon has both small-town charm and the potential for growth that made it the perfect choice for us.”

Patriot Dental (the name, an homage to Nawiesniak’s; military background) opened for business on June 14, 2014. His time in the Air Force gave Dr. Nawiesniak training and education that enables him to offer the best possible care to patients. He earned his undergrad in Biology from Loyola in Chicago and completed dental school at Northwestern University in Chicago. While in the Air Force Dr. Nawiesniak was selected to attend their two-year Advanced General Dentistry Residency Program. Upon finishing, he became certified with the American Board of General Dentistry. After more than 1200 hours of continuing education, Dr. Nawiesniak became a Fellow and then a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry. An impressive fete considering only 2% of all dentists carry this designation. In fact, he is the only dentist in Wilson County who is certified by the American Board of General Dentistry.

Dr. Nawiesniak works side by side with his wife of 27 years, Elaine. In addition to her duties as office manager, Elaine is a Registered Nurse and an accomplished photographer.

While Patriot Dental initially started out occupying the same space as Johnson Family Dentistry, as their patient list grew- thanks to word of mouth and the Nawiesniak’s community involvement- it was clear that they needed more room. “Our goal when we purchased the practice was to move to a new office within five years and we were able to do that ahead of schedule.” The Nawiesniak’s renovated an existing retail space located in Signature Place on the west side of Lebanon.

Their new state of the art facility provides patients with a comfortable, modern home-like environment. Elaine says their new space is a win/win. “We upgraded most of our equipment to reflect the digital age and are constantly striving to make changes that both improve our patient experience and make our staff’s jobs easier.”

As the dental industry continues to evolve, along with technology and advanced education, Dr. Nawiesniak says patient focus is essential now more than ever. “Our goal is to meet patient’s where they are in their dental needs and work with them to achieve the best possible outcomes for their oral health.” Dr. Nawiesniak continues, “We recognize that not everyone has always had access to dental care and may be embarrassed to seek care. We find helping these patients to be particularly rewarding. To help those who don’t have dental benefits we offer an in-house discount plan that is focused on preventative care which we emphasize in our office”.

With more than 100 years of experience between them, Dr. Nawiesniak and his staff are eager to meet all your dental needs. Stop by to visit them at their brand-new location, 99 Signature Pl, Lebanon, TN 37087

Our front desk receptionist, Beth Williams, has lived in Lebanon her entire life. She always has a smile on her face and has the best laugh! She has over 20 years’ experience in dealing with the always challenging insurance issues that arise daily and is an amazing multi-tasker! She does her best to help our patients manage their benefits to their maximum. She keeps everyone humming along. We affectionately refer to as our Queen “B”.

Our lead hygienist, Jace Crooks, is the perfect fit for our office. She is originally from Minot ND which was one of Dr. Nawiesniak’s prior duty stations in the Air Force, so he bonded with her instantly over stories of life in freezing weather, ice fishing and her fun North Dakota expressions. She received her hygiene training at Tennessee State University and has been a hygienist for 15 years. Her attention to detail and genuine care for our patients make her an asset to our office. Our other hygienist, Debbie Page, came to us searching for a privately-owned dental practice to work part-time in after she and her husband Mark moved to Lebanon from Ohio. She brings over 20 years of experience. Both of our hygienists have helped us grow our practice thru education that emphasizes preventive care.

Our lead assistant, Andrea Griffin, received her training at Nashville Staff and is an expanded duties assistant with over 20 years of experience. Andrea has a talent for making patients feel comfortable. She and her husband Mark live in Antioch and are planning to eventually relocate to Lebanon. She loves music, craft beer, and fishing. She’s also a die-hard Alabama fan but don’t hold that against her!

Our newest team member is assistant Miranda Walker. Miranda is from Lebanon and is a graduate of Vol State University. She and her husband just purchased their first new house in Hartsville. We call her the Swiss Army Knife of our office. She does whatever needs doing in our office and always with a servant’s heart.

Dr. Nawiesniak›s wife, Elaine, is our office manager and marketing director. Elaine is originally from Louisiana and is an emergency room trained RN. Her military spouse philosophy has always been to «Bloom Where You are Planted» and she has done her best to embrace Wilson County as our forever home. She is a member of the Lebanon Noon Rotary Club where she serves as Sergeant at Arms, she is on the membership committee for the Lebanon Wilson Chamber of Commerce and is the Treasurer for Wilson One, a local woman›s networking group that focuses on community service. She is a graduate of Leadership Wilson Class of 2018.

***Our services include general restorative dentistry using tooth-colored filling material and all ceramic crowns and bridges, cosmetic dentistry including veneers, teeth whitening, root canal therapy, periodontal therapy for treating gum disease, extractions, and implant restoration, as well as partials and dentures.***