Frequently Asked Questions -- Part I

Men’s Brigade is a group of Gateway Men volunteers that provide “Handy Man” services to its clients. ”Handy Man” services are items that need to be repaired or items that need t be replaced done within a 4-hour period by a group of Gateway men volunteers. Common tasks and projects like repairing a fence panel, replacing lights & ceiling fans, minor sheetrock repair, yard and flower bed attention and the like. Any task or project that requires a certified/licensed trade will more than likely not be a task that can be handled by the Brigade ministry.

Depending on the campus you attend, Brigade operates on the second Saturday of the month. If your need is pressing, we will try to respond on the next service Saturday but we do not provide 24 hour emergency service. Contact the CARE department for those situations.

Generally speaking we try to limit 1 service visit per year.  Depending on the backlog of requests and the urgency of your issue, we may be able to assist a 2nd time depending on how many clients are in the queue.

When your project is assigned to a Brigade volunteer Project Leader, he and another volunteer will schedule a time to visit your home.  During that time, the Project Leader will review the task list and determine what Men’s Brigade volunteers will be able to complete and items that need to be referred to a certified/licensed trade.  Any material expenses beyond those typically planned while require campus leadership approval.

Men’s Brigade is a volunteer ministry. The men that serve volunteer their time and there is no charge for “labor”.  It is welcomed if you are able to pay for material used on your project.  This will allow Men’s Brigade to serve other clients and stretch our ministry budget even further.  If you are not able to pay for material, that’s okay too.  We always accept prayer!   If you choose to pay for the materials for your project, you can either purchase materials directly or make a donation to the Gateway Church with the notation “Men’s Brigade” and Gateway will apply your donation to the Men’s Brigade’s budget.  We do have to seek approval from the church for project’s that exceed $125.00 per project.

Two weeks prior to our service day (the 2nd Saturday of the month) your assigned Project Leader will call and arrange a convenient time to visit your home and review your projects.

Men’s Brigade will always have at least 2 men together anytime we visit or serve our clients. We always strive to be above reproach. 

Men’s Brigade volunteers will arrive at your home around 8:15 am on Saturday.  Your group of volunteers will introduce themselves then walk thru and discuss each task on your list before breaking up into smaller teams.  By lunch, each small team will clean up their project area and leave your home in better condition than they found it.  Our final blessing for our clients is to prayer for you as a group before they leave. 

The focus of the Men’s Brigade is to support widows/widowers, single mothers and the elderly in our church family and other events at local campus locations. Some Gateway campuses have dedicated handicap ramp teams. These Ramp Teams work with Texas Ramps to build ramps in DFW area. Texas Ramps selects/qualifies the recipients, designs the ramp and delivers the materials. Gateway Men’s Brigade provides the tools and labor and shares in the costs of materials.

Yes.  Gateway completes a background check on the volunteers that serve in Men’s Brigade.

Gateway does not warranty the work.  Men’s Brigade is a volunteer ministry and in over 10 years of service, there have been a few times Brigade went back to address an issue from a previous repair. We make every attempt to send properly skilled volunteers that match the scope as outlined in the Project Leader visit prior to service day. 

Brigade can take on a list of minor items and chores.  We generally can provide 4 to 5 men for up to 4 hours to address various home repair and maintenance items.