17 St. John's youth
8 St. John's adults
6 churches
100 campers
3 states
90+ degree heat
6 nights of Gaga Ball
26 completed projects
Dozens of meaningful conversations
Hundreds of laughs
Innumerable lives changed
Last week (July 13-19), 17 St. John’s youth ages 12 to 18 joined youth 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.
Accompanied by eight adults, our St. John’s team built staircases, rebuilt front porch railings and banisters, removed hundreds of pounds of debris, and painted more railings than they can count. In our most ambitious project, we even completely replaced a failing floor system that had rotted through to the basement joists below.
With the expert guidance of Joe Benamati, who just had his 20th year at Camp Joy, our youth learned and put into practice key construction skills, from drills and power saws to proper painting techniques, with only a little spilled paint and a few drill bits broken in the process. It was the hands-on hard work of the youth team that made all these projects happen, while the adults transported them, hydrated them, and encouraged them along the way!
As first-time Camp Joy participants, Carter Samuel, a rising high-school senior, and his mother Betsy, an adult attendee, say they were blown away by the impact of this program. Here is a reflection from Carter:
My week at Camp Joy 2025 has left an indelible mark on my summer experience. At first, I was hesitant to sign up and it was not something that I particularly looked forward to. However, I had a blast at this year’s Camp Joy, meeting and connecting with new individuals, and reestablishing myself as an important member of the St. John’s community. The building experience was awesome and our hard work helped the homeowners tremendously. Last week I realized the love/connection that being faithful can bring you, and my experience reinforced the importance of treating people as individuals, and not falsely categorizing them. I may have learned these things elsewhere; however, this experience provided me with a necessary reminder. Hence, I was thrilled with my experience in West Virginia, and would recommend this program to anybody.
This Fall, hear from more of St. John’s youth and the Camp Joy team, when we will share more photos and impressions from this life changing week.
We are already looking forward to Camp Joy 2026, which will take place July 12 – 18. If you have a child age 12 or older—or if you would like to attend as an adult—please use the form below to reach out to Dawn Molloy, Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries, and/or feel free to talk to any of the youth or adults about the experience!
Many, many thanks to Jessica Flugge and Rob Hunter, our Camp Joy “Boots on the Ground” leaders (BOGs), who orchestrated our logistics and united our community both before and throughout the week. Thanks, too, to our amazing team of adult leaders: Becky Berman, Gary Dean, Jessica Flugge, Rob Hunter, Rob Molloy, Mara Riemer, Betsy Samuel, and Alan Snyder.
Interested in participating next year?
Complete this form to connect with Dawn Molloy, Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministries.