Charleston is known as the holy city for its enormous churches, heavy accents, and deep rooted traditions. For some the religious ways and traditions of Charleston are beloved, but in the modernized world we live in now they in most cases seen as overbearing.

But how can that be when the church is supposed to be a safe haven and representation of all the important values of a community?

More and more now it appears to be a new trend for churches to be more concerned with the money they make, then the people they help. But every now and then comes along hope. Hope that reinforces the intended purpose of the church, to help the people of their communities and spread the word of God. Under Construction ministry is that hope. They are founded on and thrive from helping people change their lives and set forth on the path that God has created for them. They are tearing down the walls of people’s metaphorical homes, and building them stronger, better, and righteous. Their mission is sure to even ignite a fire of change in churches every where, as they worship God and change lives.

Under Construction Ministry is a hidden gem in the spiritual community here in Charleston, for all that it is and all that it can do for people in and out of the church.

In our latest Exquisite Exclusive, we got to sit down with Benjamin who is the founder of the Under Construction ministry. He breaks down the whole idea behind Under Construction, and gives us some insight into how they interact with people and communities, and where they plan on taking their efforts. Read about it below!

What is Under Construction ministry and how did it come to fruition?
Benjamin: Under construction wasn’t a a ministry at first, it was an actual event we were doing. After the event was over, about a year passed and we were all sitting together at a meeting discussing what we were going to call this ministry we were working on. We were all just sitting around the room and I was like, “hey, why doing we just call it Under Construction Ministry?” When I said it, I didn’t realize I did, and then all these things started going through my head of God wanting me to start this ministry. I work in construction, so I see a lot of things being torn down and put back together, so God was telling me “I want you to start this ministry to be able to tear down and rebuild. So he gave me the concept and I said okay! You know how you tear down the walls in a home, and most people want to fix just a partial part of it, but God told me, I want you to tear down everything so that you can really see what’s behind these walls. You can do a partial tear down and fix it, but then something else goes wrong. When you rebuild, you are putting back new. You are making something stronger, putting it on a stronger foundation. So Under Construction Ministry is about tearing down whatever is going on in your life, problems, issues, topics that most churches don’t talk about. Some people think that they are the only person that’s going through something. Under Construction ministry is going to break down the walls and show you what’s really going on in your home, and also show you that you aren’t the only one that’s going through this. And when I make references to the home, your temple, I’m referring to you and what’s going on with you. Sometimes we don’t wanna fix these problems, we just want to hold onto them but the more and more we do that, the more it will tear you apart. And what’s happening with you on the inside, it manifests on the outside.

Tell us more about this event that started it all.
Benjamin: The event came about from a young guy named Arthur Cartwright, we really just sat down and said let’s do something called Under Construction. We’ll have an event where we are reconstructing things and rebuilding. So we had the event that night, and that’s pretty much how it came about, and it was such a powerful night. When we did it, it went on for three days, which was exhausting, but it did what it was supposed to do. People got saved, we worshipped, it was just awesome.

So will you be dealing with only spiritual reconstruction, or reconstruction of any and everything a person may go through?
Benjamin: We operate in the spiritual, but we also operate in the natural as well. You get the spiritual, but you still have to operate it in the natural. There are areas in this ministry that are going to deal with finances, marriage, singles, single parenting, we want to touch every aspect, because when you are reconstructing a home, you are touching every aspect of that home.

Tell us about your team and what working with them is like.
Benjamin: Everyone on my team has a specific role to play and we all work together to get things done. When I first started I was micromanaging everything, because it was my baby! I had to realize that these people are here to help me take care of this infant. Even though I would give the infant to someone, I’m constantly hovering and watching over. I had to really learn how to release things to the people of my team, and trust them to carry it out. Its good to have a good team of people around you who are like minded, so that they will also see the vision, because if they can see the vision then everything can run smoothly.

If someone needs help, how does someone find you? How do you find people to help?
Benjamin: I sing, so by being in that arena, we connect with a lot of people. Which gives us the opportunity to tell them about the ministry. Social media is another outlet of this ministry, even the people in my church are great supporters. We are in the process of reaching out to the shelters, and older people, to help. We are not a ministry that just wants to be showcased and seen, but we wanna be in the trenches with the people. I think that’s where it starts. I want to be able to send kids to college! We want to be able to find out the needs that people have, so that we can supply them.

Do you feel like there is a barrier there for you all when trying to work with younger people?
Benjamin: Even when I was young, I can remember how I was when it came to the church. I went to church because my parents told me I had to, that’s why I went. When the church people offered you something to come, it makes it better for you to say okay I ‘m going for this. When it comes down to the kids, we don’t bible thump them, we talk to them, we build relationships and trust with them. A lot of kids in our church they come to us because they can be open with us, and we let them say wha they are thinking with no judgement. They talk about relationships, boys, girls, but we don’t try to silence them because this is what they are feeling. They may have questions that they need answers to, and by us being open wit them, it establishes rappor and trust with them.

Exquisite Exclusive: Benjamin Mitchell and Under Construction Ministry

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