Retired pastor Sam Duree, age 77, could be enjoying his golden years in an easy chair. However, instead of just letting the days fly by, Duree is building birdhouses to support a Moscow seminary.
Duree spends four hours a day planning, sawing, sanding, drilling, gluing, and nailing cedar fence pickets in a workshop in his garage. He then hits the road with 35 different kinds of birdhouses, selling them at festivals and craft shows. Over the past six years, Duree estimates he has built about 3,000 birdhouses, raising $85,000 for Russia United Theological Seminary. Duree saw the need for the Moscow seminary during 14 mission trips to Russia and Siberia.
"We have to realize we're part of a global community, and we have a global ministry," Duree says. "I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. The good Lord has plans for us, and I'm doing what I can to carry them out."
