This tiny church is giving away cars and doing whatever it can to help one person at a time

Good morning, friends, Tennessean storytelling columnist Brad Schmitt here, ready for a big weekend of wrasslin' at Municipal Auditorium! OK, not really (but I loved it as a kid).

I do hope veteran showman Ric Flair and his fans have a big time Sunday night at his final match. Woooo!

In the meantime, lookie here:

I got to meet and hang out Wednesday with a hospital service dog named Nic! (Story coming soon.)

Hope you had an awesome week, too. Here are some feel-good stories to carry you into the weekend.

The tiny church that's doing big things

They really are an unassuming group, with about 20 people sitting in folding chairs for worship every Sunday morning in the lobby of a Murfreesboro construction company.

This is the nondenominational Our Church Ministries, led by former longtime Lighthouse Christian School headmaster Brian Sweatt. Remember seeing the portable classroom floating down the street in Antioch during the 2010 floods? That was the school. (ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" helped rebuild it four months later.)

Brian now is a pastor who since has connected with about 20 business leaders and 20 minister leaders to help people through Our Church.

One at a time.

Since its inception in January last year, the church has raised more than $120,000 to meet needs as they arise. An unexpected medical bill crippling your family? Our Church can pay it. Need therapy because the pandemic revealed some mental health issues? Our Church will pay for a few sessions.

Need a big car repair? Need a car? OC has done that, too, giving away nine cars in just 18 months.

The latest recipient is Dion King, 50, who has mental health and hearing and other physical challenges. Dion, an abuse survivor, tells me he sometimes is unhoused and lives off disability checks.

Dion also has been active as a mentee and now mentor for Nashville's Church of Another Chance, a congregation for men coming through different challenges. The pastor of that church told OC's Pastor Brian about Dion.

And Pastor Brian called in about a half dozen partners to help deliver a used yellow Ford Escape to Dion.

"I was shocked!" Dion told me. "I didn't think anyone would do that for me.

"They said they gave it to me for doing a good job in my mentorship and getting back on the right track. I feel blessed, I’ll tell ya that," he said.

"And it runs good!"

Airport volunteer prevents a suicide

Earnest Cobble spent 25 years maintaining the HVAC system at Nashville International Airport. Guess he really loves the place, because Earnest stayed on after that to serve as an airport volunteer.

His most intense day came April 17 when an agitated customer pulled out a gun, put it to her head and fired.

That shot missed — and what Earnest did after that is something the airport authority is calling heroic. Check out the details in my colleague Sandy Mazza's story here.

Happy 100th birthday to the person who created NICUs

Yes, it's true — the physician who created neonatal intensive care units is from right here in Nashville. And she's turning 100 years old Sunday (July 31).

Dr. Mildred Stahlman launched NICUs in the early 1960s after shrinking down a respirator so it could be used on preemie babies with damaged lungs. Isn't that amazing?

Dr. Stahlman, who still lives in Nashville, is 100% local.

She's a Harpeth Hall and Vanderbilt alumna who, after an internship in Boston and a fellowship in Sweden, spent the rest of her career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

So happy 100th birthday to the doctor who helped thousands of babies have many happy birthdays of their own.

Tell Me Something Good

What awesome thing is happening in your life this week? HMU (I'm soooo cool!) at brad@tennessean.com.

► Invited to an old student's wedding

"My family and I are traveling to Seattle on Saturday to go to a wedding of one my former youth ministry students. One of the coolest parts of serving is staying a part of their lives when they grow up."

— Doug Fuqua, 53, Franklin, food bank executive

► An extra effort by animal hospital staffers

"This s bittersweet — my oldest kitty Salem had cancer and needed to be put to sleep. Dr. Josh Good and vet tech Jodie Pierce traveled from Five Points Animal Hospital to my home in North Nashville to give my cat a peaceful and loving send-off. Salem absolutely hated to travel, and I was so relieved that wouldn’t have to be bundled into his carrier for a frightening journey during his final hour. I am so grateful for their kindness!"

— Liz Haas, 49, North Nashville, nonprofit agency publicist

► My little sister went to London and all I got was...

"I got to see my little sister after she was in London for two weeks. She brought me back a funny hat that says, 'Bored and Hungry.'"

— Ryan DeCoster, 18, Franklin, rising college freshman

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: This tiny church is giving away cars and paying off big bills