October 2, 2026
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Bible says Jesus was a carpenter, and Belmont Baptist Church in Gainesville is using carpentry to make sure no kid sleeps on the floor in their town.
“There are different ministries for every church to meet folks' needs and to show the love of Christ. This is just unique to us right now,” said Senior Pastor Bill Compton. “It’s just a means by which we’re simply trying to do the work of Christ.”
Belmont, with an average Sunday attendance of 100, has made more than 300 twin-size beds for needy families with children ages three to 18.
Families requesting beds include those who have moved to the area and can’t afford to buy their children beds, displaced kids from the Department of Family and Children Services, and those being reunited with parents after losing them. Local school counselors also reach out if they see a need.
People are more apt to listen when you meet a need. “I think when we meet a need with the beds for the kids, it really impacts the parents,” said Compton.
In 2022, Belmont youth pastor Ric Williams suggested the ministry after taking part in a bed build on a Tennessee mission trip. The build was ran by a chapter of an organization called Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which was founded by Luke Mickelson in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Belmont became a chapter in the fall of 2022. There are 18 chapters in Georgia.
“We can do all sorts of things with this ministry,” said Compton. “Our mission is to reach people with the gospel.”
Compton has sad and funny delivery stories.
“You wouldn’t believe how many times we see kids running with pajamas and get on the bed. And, start taking a nap or whatever.”
Recently, a family who had lost everything, and lived three years in a camper getting their lives and family back together, received a bed. “When I found out about it, we worked to get beds for their kids,” Compton said. “They were beside themselves.”
Another family needed two bunkbeds and one single, and when the team arrived, the house was nearly empty. “There wasn’t even a couch in there. There was one mattress on the floor,” said Compton. He said the lady and her five kids walked from Guatemala and stopped near cities to work to get enough to keep going, and then walked again. “The mom had tears. She said, ‘You just don’t know what this means to us that my kids have a place to sleep,’” said Compton “That’s just a blessing. To be able to meet a need like that.”
Delivery crews ask to pray over the beds and for the kids, which generally opens up a conversation about Christ. They let them know that God sent the beds; they just happened to deliver them. There is no resistance to the prayers.
“It not only impacts them, it impacts us. We see things from all different perspectives and realize just how blessed we are,” said Compton. He added, “When we leave, we know that we’ve met a need there and it’s impacting their lives.”
The SHP-designed beds are stained with vinegar and steel wool. Vinegar is acidic and dissolves the steel wool, and becomes liquid. "When you dunk the bed and then let it dry, it dries like a light walnut. It’s also a natural deterrent to bed bugs,” said Compton.
They always need volunteers.“We show them how to do it, and we let them build. You don’t have to be a carpenter to know what we are doing. You don’t have to have expertise in anything, all you gotta do is have a desire.”
Some unchurched people build and install beds, and their hearts are touched, said Compton. He prays they come to Christ, and they get invited to church.
The ministry operates by donations. They’ve had people ask to donate supplies for beds, sometimes 12 beds at a time. They can build a bed, he said, for around $300.
Belmont church members of all ages have embraced the ministry. “It’s become a part of our entire church and the culture of the church. There is a mission field out there, and there are all kinds of ways to meet needs,” said Compton.
Recipients sign waiver forms to be photographed, and the church shows pictures of bed deliveries. “Our folks see what is going on. It keeps it exciting and lets them know we’re continuing to do stuff,” said Compton. “It has become a ministry that touches every person in our church.”
It’s affecting the community too.
“I’ve had a ton of folks ask, ‘Hey, your church is doing this?’ Yeah. 'Where is your church at?’ And I’ll tell them you are welcome to come worship with us. We’d love to have you. Or, they offer to send some money. You don’t know which way it is going to go,” said Compton.
Compton encourages churches to contact Belmont if they feel God is leading them in this direction. “What God calls you to do, he equips you to do.”
For he and his wife, Beth, “this is something that we know we need to do and we are going to keep doing it.”
Anyone who needs beds can sign up at www.shpbeds.org. Those interested in volunteering or donating money or materials can contact the church directly, or go to the SHP website and donate to the Belmont chapter specifically.
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