6 churches. 100+ participants. 26 completed projects.
30+ tents. 90+ degree heat. 6 nights of gaga ball. 1 invisible bench!
Dozens of meaningful conversations. Hundreds of laughs. Innumerable lives changed.
From July 12 to July 18, 17 St. John’s youth (ages 12 to 18) and 11 adults joined youth and adults from five other churches at CAMP JOY: Christian Appalachian Mission Project Joining Other Youth. CAMP JOY, located outside of Berkeley Springs, WV, has served western Maryland, West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania communities by undertaking home repair projects for residents—particularly seniors—who are without the means to complete these projects themselves.
Our St. John’s team undertook some impressive engineering projects—building and repairing decks, handicap ramps, landings, staircases, and…more decks! We removed hundreds of pounds of debris, and attached more balusters than we can count. While the youth were charged with the dirt-digging and wood-cutting and screw-hole-drilling, we were also blessed by a team of adult volunteers who drove kids back and forth, hauled tools and lumber, did complex math in their heads (geometry is a life skill!), and stuck it out through the Friday wildfire smoke to get our projects across the finish line.
With the expert guidance of Joe Benamati, who just had his 21st year at CAMP JOY, plus newcomers Maurice Hoffmaster, Jim Mullikin, and Tom Hebert, our youth learned and put into practice key construction skills, from drills and power saws to using a “West Virginia wheelbarrow.” As in previous years, it was the hands-on hard work of the youth that made these projects possible, while adults hydrated them and encouraged them along the way!
First-time CAMP JOY participants saw the impact of this program. Here is a reflection from Brooklyn Talbird, a rising 8th grader and first-time CAMP JOY camper:
No expectations… great experience. Exhilarated when doing labor! Learned how to saw, tear up boards with leverage using a crowbar, plumb ballisters [sic]… Helping people felt great…legs and back felt terrible after each day. Don’t know if I felt closer to God but felt like I really didn’t have any worries, just serenity. Also a big thanks to everyone because we wouldn’t have been able to finish the jobs, and a special thanks to the handymen who helped us so much with their experience.
Mark your calendar for Sunday, October 25, to come hear from St. John’s youth and the CAMP JOY team. We will share more photos and impressions from this life-changing week. In the meantime, find photos of our experience on St. John's Facebook and Instagram pages!