Gilbert, SC 06/21/2021 – Monday morning, 230 teenagers and adults from nine states began a labor of love in Lexington County. They are working on a home repairs mission in several areas of the region.
The mission, known as a workcamp, will run from June 20 to 26, 2021. It is sponsored locally by Cherokee Presbyterian Church which is located on Augusta Highway (US Hwy 1) in Gilbert. In coordination with Group Mission Trips, free home repairs will include building wheelchair ramps, mending and building porches, painting, roof sealing, and other outdoor home repairs.
Group Mission Trips is a non-profit, interdenominational, volunteer home-repair organization headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado. During the summer of 2021, almost 6,500 teenagers and adults will serve in 16 communities across the United States. To date Group Mission Trips has seen ½ million volunteers since their start in 1990.
The volunteers visiting this week hail from North Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. While here, they’ll work in the Lexington County communities of Gilbert, Red Bank, Pelion, and Batesburg-Leesville. In total, they’ll make improvements to 32 homes of qualified elderly, disabled, veterans, and low-income residents. While here, the Workcamp volunteers will be staying at the Gunter Camp and Conference Center in Batesburg-Leesville.
“These really are remarkable young people,” said Jeff Thompson of Group Mission Trips. “Each one is actually paying for the privilege of working in Lexington County. Workcamp registration fees are used to cover the costs of food, insurance, and building materials.”
“This service to the community would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and church members,” says Laura Jordan, Elder of Missions at Cherokee Presbyterian Church. Rev. Liz Cely, director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at Cherokee Presbyterian Church says, “Our youth have traveled to workcamps in different areas of the country, and we are thrilled to bring the experience to our own backyard.”
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