She’s a third-generation administrative professional; she’s also a multi-disciplinary artist. Ashley Henkle, Home Repairs’ administrative assistant, describes her story as one made up of about 50 different parts — but all lead back to administration, creativity and people.

Working for years in the same business as her family, Ashley found herself in need of a change when her third child was on the way.

“I thought I was going to stay at home and raise kids, but when we moved from Colorado to the East Coast, things changed, and I needed a part-time job,” she said. “I always jokingly made the comment that if I ever went back to work, it would be in a church. My heart is for ministry-related work.”

That’s exactly where Ashley ended up. She worked in several churches — as a children’s director and in other administrative roles — before stepping into administration for the Wesleyan denomination during COVID. Realizing she enjoyed what she was doing, Ashley became a licensed pastor with the Wesleyan Church. Over the next few years, she discovered she wanted to use those skills more.

“I felt this call to connect more with people, and my job was mostly behind a computer with very minimal one-on-one interactions with others,” she said. 

A friend from Ashley’s church — with close connections to Home Repairs’ Executive Director Heather — first brought up Home Repairs’ need for a part-time administrative assistant. 

“Carlie and I were in a small group together, and she was sharing how her boss felt called to [change her career path] and hand over her company to Carlie and another lady in the company,” Ashley said. “She was explaining her boss’s heart for God and her desire to be obedient in the next step.”

That boss was Heather.

“I had been feeling unsettled and had been praying, ‘God, I really need to know what my next is.’ Little did I know He was unraveling that answer right before my eyes as I watched Carlie’s story play out,” Ashley said. “During a busy time, I made some fleeting comment to her about looking for a part-time role, if you know anyone. And she was like, ‘Actually, I do know someone!’”

Heather was a few months into her role as Executive Director and needed help as the nonprofit grew. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity for Ashley, along with serving as her church’s connections coordinator.

“From having heard about the way God had worked in Heather’s heart to seeing everything unfold [as Carlie stepped into co-ownership of Heather’s former business], I got to watch and trust. I already knew that Heather was worth partnering with because I knew what she prioritizes as first,” Ashley said. “And I felt like Home Repairs answered my prayers from my time with God.”

“[While seeking my ‘next’] I kept reading scripture about caring for the widows and orphans and the poor, and I was thinking ‘I think God literally meant that, but what’s my part in helping those who are less fortunate than me, and how do I want that playing out in my life?’

“Home Repairs is literally caring for the less fortunate, the widows, the orphans, the elderly — it perfectly describes what God wants us to do. That was a confirmation in and of itself that HRM was the next step for me because their model just fits so closely to my heart. And Clarence and Heather are amazing!”

“Jumping into the unknown” is nothing new for Ashley, but creating processes and systems is one of her strengths.

“Right now, I’m ‘gathering the heart’ and vision of Home Repairs and then watching all the things come through — like how we deal with phone calls and when someone applies, how we vet applications, how we follow up,” she said. 

“The pastor in me cares about people’s experience, even if we [can’t help them]. I want them to feel seen and needed and known to some degree. I want to come alongside them and offer resources. I’m also understanding Clarence and Heather’s heart and how they operate in work and am creating processes to make their lives easier. Clarence calls me the magician for my ideas, which [to me] aren’t even a big deal!” 

While Ashley is still new in her role, she knows the heart of Home Repairs. 

“What Home Repairs offers — I think the best word for it is ‘hope’. Even if it’s just a phone call with a homeowner who we can’t move forward with [to offer them repairs], I try to answer the call in a way that it’s like pointing them to something else.  We want to leave people with hope — where they felt we cared about the small things and now they can consider their next step,” she said.

“Hearing the stories of how hard life has been for these homeowners and for them to even have a glimmer of hope is really life-giving to them and to everyone around them. You can see a weight coming off their shoulders [after Home Repairs’ help]. Our volunteers might even feel the weight of so many things [that need repairing], and yet the homeowner looks at it like, ‘Oh my gosh, you fixed that thing.’ It’s the perspective of the situation.”

Being on a job site was an impactful experience, too.

“We have a good group of volunteers — they’re funny and they actually enjoy their time with one another,” she said.

“I’ve been to other churches and other organizations where you go and they almost seem to view it as a community service rather than serving, but ours actually enjoy doing it. That was really refreshing. 

“And to watch the homeowners, they seemed so overwhelmed with the outpouring of service that they didn’t know what to do with themselves. Just to take a moment and talk to them and connect with them was really cool, too. They’re just so thankful. 

“It makes their story more real when you have a personal connection, getting to know them as a human being. That’s where I felt like it wasn’t just a project site; it feels like I’m getting a new friend. I’m all about unity and community, so that was really cool.”

There’s no question that Home Repairs’ work is greatly needed —in metro Atlanta and beyond. And Ashley sees Home Repairs Ministries as a true trailblazer in this sector.

“I’m surprised that there aren’t many other nonprofit organizations that do what Home Repairs does. ’cause the need is so great. But it floored me at first to see that we’re almost leading the way in this effort and defining what [home repair ministry] looks like,” she said. 

“I’ve learned that ‘critical repair’ means something different to each individual. That’s allowed us to really hone in on what we think Home Repairs Ministries is.

“We’re that one step before people don’t know where they’re going to go because they can’t afford what their next option would be. We don’t want people living on the streets. We don’t want people living out of their cars. And doing these small repairs can help them grow old in their home or manage disabilities while in their home.

“Our ministry is about making homes safe, dry and accessible. There’s almost always more need there, but just taking care of the most basic ones is huge.” 

The Home Repairs team also recognizes opportunities to do more than just repair homes but to also repair hearts.

“As a team, we’re starting to talk about our hospitality and experience — what if what we offered was so excellent that people felt not only served but also known?” she said. 

“We want to even do the small things like saying, ‘Hey, we noticed you’ve been working three jobs through all of this; here’s a little gift card just for you’ — something that shows we’re a part of their story; we’re not just a nonprofit. We want people to feel like they’re connected to the church, the body.”