Teens share faith by repairing homes for poor Aug. 30, 2004 By Amy Green* When the U.M. ARMY marches into town, its young workers leave painted houses and new relationships in their wake. "It was amazing to see, with the challenge and the proper tools and a little inspiration, what those kids were able to do," says Annette Cooper, 45, of La Grange, Texas. She attended her first U.M. ARMY work camp this summer with her kids. A group of United Methodist congregations in Texas started the program 27 years ago, after deciding to focus their mission work locally rather than spend money and time on travel. U.M. ARMY - United Methodist Action Reach Out Mission by Youth - repairs the homes of the poor while building the faith of its teen workers. Some 3,000 teens and adults participated in U.M. ARMY work camps this summer in Texas, Florida and Connecticut. The Houston-based ministry is considering moving into Louisiana next. "A lot of these young people come from middle-class families and have never seen how poor people live. ... They realize money is not what makes you a happy, content person," says John Branch, president of the ministry’s board. He tells the story of how U.M. ARMY workers made a difference in the life of a Jacksonville, Fla., woman five years ago. After building a wheelchair ramp and painting, the teen volunteers gathered for a photograph. "These are my children," the woman said. It was the first time the black woman had welcomed anyone white into her home. U.M. ARMY works with state human services workers to identify communities in need and organizes churches for weeklong work camps. Smaller communities some distance away from the churches are chosen to save residents the embarrassment of having someone they know work on their homes. The teens do basic repairs, such as painting and carpentry, but stay away from more dangerous and complicated work, such as plumbing and electricity. The average work camp involves about 100 people repairing about 50 homes. Adults supervise them, but teens are nudged into leadership roles. They sleep and eat at a local church. They are encouraged to get to know the residents and talk about faith. Worship services help teens understand what they’ve learned from the experience. Kenda Bilberry, 15, of White House, Texas, painted and did carpentry repairs at her first work camp this summer. It was hard work - one home required seven coats of paint -but she was moved by the experience. On a rainy day, her group gathered in the living room of a woman’s home and listened as the woman talked of her deceased husband and father. "It was such a neat experience to see how much these people appreciated what we were doing," Kenda says. "They had so much love to show people." Sabine Xibraki, 36, and her ex-husband Adrian, 36, of Freeport, Texas, struggle to get by together on payments that she receives from a health care provider for caring for Adrian, who was left quadriplegic after a car accident. Their home was damaged by a hurricane, and she welcomed a group of teens this summer who made repairs. "It was beautiful that they came," she says. "Their spirit was tremendous. It gives you hope if just total strangers care. We just had so much fun. They made jokes all day long and teased each other. It was just a great spirit." Branch got involved in the ministry 16 years ago with his oldest son. His kids are grown now, but he remains active in the ministry because "I saw what an impact this one week had on people. ... It just blew me away." During one work camp, Branch’s youngest son was asked to work on a home that had no indoor plumbing, only an outhouse that was falling apart. The teens could not give the home a plumbing system, but they built a new outhouse. "They’d never seen a home that didn’t have indoor plumbing before," Branch says. Kenda says the work camp changed her. "Some of these houses were just falling to pieces …" she says. "I no longer take for granted what I get and what I have." *Green is a freelance journalist based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Tim Tanton, (615) 742-5473 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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