Ozark couple helps churches with tile ministry

According to Jerry Jones, “There’s no other way to serve the Lord than to work for Him.” And work for Him, he has.
During the past few years, he and his wife, Nancy — members of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Ozark, in Dale Baptist Association — have provided free labor for more than 50 churches across the Southeast for church construction and renovation projects.

The Joneses’ expertise lies in laying ceramic tile. It’s a trade he learned while living in Missouri.
Jerry Jones, who retired from the military in 1981, began working in a lumberyard in Missouri in 1995 that sold floor covering. Through this job, he met a man who allowed him to do a tile-work apprenticeship for one year.
Following the apprenticeship, Jerry Jones opened his own business and did commercial work there for several years before moving to Alabama and doing similar work. In 2000, the couple joined a group of retirees on a missions trip to Florida.

While they were there constructing a church, the couple spent most of their time laying ceramic tile. After the trip, Nancy Jones said, “It just seems like the Lord kept putting tile jobs in our path.” Because so many opportunities opened up for volunteer work with churches, the duo quit the commercial side of their business and began solely doing volunteer jobs for churches.