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We built a cabinet . .
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...and bridges |
...and awareness |
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...and friendships |
. . . through hands-on faith |
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"We built a cabinet!" These proud words came from a group of young women more accustomed to holding books and computer ‘mice’ than hammers and electric drills. But they mirrored the feelings of an inter-generational group of volunteers who participated in a July mission trip to West Virginia, whether they stained or painted, built cabinets and closets, repaired a porch or a sink, or laid linoleum. More than a personal sense of accomplishment, which they certainly felt, the volunteers from UCC (and one Disciples of Christ) congregations in Ohio, Indiana and New Hampshire were marked by a sense of servanthood. They were in West Virginia because they were called to do something concrete, to act on their faith. The 42 volunteers, ranging in age from pre-teen to over-fifty, gathered at the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, West Virginia from July 8-13. They were part of a service project, Faithful Advocates Serving Together, sponsored by the United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Commission on Religion in Appalachia (CORA). The goal of the project was to engage UCC/Disciples members in an action and education experience to increase understanding of the Appalachian region. The action focused on refurbishing three homes in the mountains surrounding the Folklife Center. The group of 42 separated into three work teams, each with a list of tasks to be done. Work leaders from the Center provided materials, expertise, encouragement—and led the caravan of vehicles through winding mountain roads to the work sites until the volunteers learned the way. The Center’s work leaders dropped off people and materials at each home, made introductions, and reviewed the work to be done. Then it was up to the volunteers to get acquainted with the families, divide up tasks and tools, and get to work. It was hot. It rained. Volunteers faced dirt, smells, bees, dripping stain, water sprayed from a broken line – and a curious bull with his nose in a paint bucket. But everyone kept on, seldom complaining, usually smiling, doing the work they had come to do. Servants with a mission. People from Ohio, Indiana and New Hampshire worked side by side, forming friendships among themselves and with the families they served. After work was done one day, several volunteers at one home engaged the owners’ young daughters in conversation about their older brother’s recent wedding. Soon one of the girls went into the house and brought back wedding photos, the dress she wore and the bouquet she carried as an attendant in the wedding party for her new friends to admire. The group from Congregational UCC, Lakewood, spent two days painting a home and repairing a porch. At the end of the second day, the owner appeared with watermelon for the group of hot, tired volunteers who worked on his home, and they all shared the treat. Workers in another home chatted with the homeowner while they worked. They learned about her recent certification as a nurse’s assistant, her job at the local hospital, the furniture she had inherited from her grandmother, and the ingredients in her home-canned jars of chow-chow. Young people from Westerville UCC made connections with the girls living in the home where their group worked. During breaks, they applied polish to the nails of one of the family’s puppies, made music with an electronic keyboard, and cuddled the family’s collection of cats and dogs. At the Center each evening, volunteers showered and changed into clean clothes. A three-minute limit ensured that everyone had hot water and that the other ten people waiting for the bathroom had as short a wait as possible. The group responsible that day’s meal preparation began to cook, the day’s worship leaders prepared the service, and everyone else relaxed, socialized or did other chores around the Center. One afternoon was spent at the Center in economic justice training. Group activities were designed to get the volunteers to compare the local economy to the one at home and to become more aware of the economic inequities that surround them. By the end of the week, friendships were forged and strengthened between people from different churches and between people from the same church. "Getting to know people from our church was the best part of the week. I feel a greater closeness to them after ‘surviving together’ through all of the various experiences," said Lise Wadkins of Westerville. The volunteers also gained a new appreciation for the lives to which they returned. "I learned I could ‘make do’ with much less than I normally have and how blessed we are in our usual lives," said Harold Steindam, Westerville’s pastor. Most members of the group discovered that they were capable of more than they believed. Lakewood member Lindsey Megas, for one, reported "I learned that I can build a cabinet!" |
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