Members of a Ridgewood church put their faith into practice this weekend — one shovelful of muck at a time — by helping Pompton Lakes residents clean up their flood-damaged homes.
More than 100 members of the Ridgewood congregation of the World Mission Society Church of God helped shovel out debris, knock down a damaged wall and bag trash removed from the basements of several homes along Washington Avenue on Monday.
For residents such as Satinder Bharaj, the group's arrival was a blessing.
At the height of the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene, water poured in from the front and back of the home where Bharaj and her husband, Balbir, have lived for the last eight years.
They were among the families evacuated from the area. Their son arranged for them to stay at a hotel in Parsippany. They were able to return home Saturday to inspect the damage.
"Everything is damaged," Bharaj said. "Nothing could be saved."
Her husband's injured knee complicated matters until a group of the church volunteers, whose members come from all over Bergen County, showed up to help dig out the debris from the basement.
"They are very polite and very helpful," she said.
Other neighbors who didn't need the group's help also were appreciative.
Mireille Greenberg initially invited the group to her house, but after consulting with her husband, Herb, and their son, Peter, declined the help.
