Servant Builders: Helping young men rebuild their lives

TOCCOA - A Toccoa-based organization which helps young men rebuild their lives has just reached a milestone.

Servant Builders has completed its first home, one of many it says it needs to help house its clients which are taught a building trade - with the emphasis on the Bible.

Steven Mataro is the man behind the Servant Builders, which employs a highly-disciplined program (in some ways similar to military basic training) - with very little, if any, time for play. Physical conditioning is mandatory and 12-hour workdays are the norm. The religious aspect of their training includes regular Bible study and mandatory attendance at Sunday (and, sometimes, Wednesday night) services at Free Chapel in Gainesville

Mataro says there is very little resistance to the routine. He admits some clients bow out before completing the 24-month program but others have no choice because they have been referred to Servant Builders by the courts. In addition to the courts, some are referred to him by their parents who feel they have done all they can. Mataro accepts those who have problems with drugs and/or alcohol, petty crime and even learning disabilities.

The mission statement lists three cornerstones:

1) Nurture each individual by providing housing, meals, and other necessities as they learn a new way of life.

2) Teach participants skills in the construction industry through hands-on training.

3) Prepare each person to enter life with the needed skills and mindset to succeed in whatever they try.

The program - operated in conjunction with American Homebuilders in Gainesville - actually originated in Lumpkin County about 20 years ago. It moved to a 70-acre site in Stephens County about two years ago..