Early last month, the Rev. Jeff Williams and his wife Abby has just sold their house in Jackson with plans to move into the loft of the garage of the house they were building themselves near Gordonville. The garage hadn't been completed yet, but they still had time.

Then Jeff Williams died in his sleep at age 46, perhaps felled by a massive heart attack.

Abby Williams and her two children, Nathan, 11, and Naomi, 8, have decided to live with Abby's mother until the house is built.

Last weekend about 50 volunteers from four area churches turned out to help put the roof and siding on the garage before bad weather caused problems for the construction project. Another volunteer came from Springfield, Mo.

Jeff Williams was the minister at New Life Fellowship Church until a year ago. He was the pastor at New Covenant Fellowship Church in Paducah, Ky., at the time of his death.

The volunteers finished about 80 percent of the work and expect to return to complete the rest.

That's the kind of community we live in.