Saturday, December 10, was the last Good Works workday of 2005, and became
an extraordinary time of endings, beginnings, and encouragement.
The day was an ending in the sense that the five month project which St.
Peter’s volunteers had taken on to make the Coatesville home of Charles and
Denise Denis ‘warmer, safer and drier’ has been completed. A small dedication
ceremony was held not only to underscore what our volunteers had accomplished
in almost 400 labor hours of service, but to emphasize to the Denis family
that they can continue to count on Good Works and St. Peter’s in the event
that they need our help.
Ken Fleisher, Hugh McClennan, Tom Brehm, Karen Joyce & Randy
Klein
weigh in on how many Episcopalians are required to install a new window.
Saturday was also a day of beginning in that we commenced yet another Coatesville home restoration project, this one for Ms. Wanda Suber and her daughter Johnette. Their home, a 100-year-old row house, will require substantial improvements to eliminate water leakage, poor insulation, plumbing, and lighting. This project is estimated to require one year to complete. On our first installment at this home we removed 3 leaky and antiquated windows in the 3rd floor attic which serves as a bedroom, and replaced them with new modular insulated windows which will keep that bedroom warmer. Also, the plumbing problems that had prevented Wanda from using her washing machine in the basement are now corrected, and the Laundromat will see her no more. Wanda stated that she cannot imagine a finer Christmas present.
"Bo" Cappelli and Steve Poole figure out a plumbing solution.
Speaking of presents, often the best gifts are those of encouragement and
companionship. Since St. Peter’s became a Good Neighbors parish 4 years ago
(in which we ‘adopt’ a family and carry out our Good Works assignments to the
completion of the project), we have completed making 7 Coatesville homes
“warmer, safer & drier.” In so doing, we have become friends with the
individuals and families in whose homes we have worked. Now, in a St. Peter’s
‘first’ at this festive time of year, while some of our nine-person volunteer
team remained at Ms. Suber’s home to complete our assignments, 3 members went
throughout Coatesville to spread Christmas care and companionship with four of
our adopted families.
Everyone gave our visitors a warm welcome and were so happy to see our team
members again. Mr. Clyde Ferguson was glad for our company, as was Dr. Helen
Butler, who told her visitors that she wears her prayer shawl everywhere. Mrs.
Catherine Robinson was delighted with her fruit basket (no sugar for her
diabetes)! Mrs. Esther Johnson recently suffered a setback to her health, and
was visited in hospital. These visits meant a great deal to the families that
we already have had the privilege to help.
And yet, it was more than helping “others.” It was also about helping
ourselves. In the
annals of St. Peter’s Good Works involvement, December 10, 2005 stands as a
‘red letter day’. One of our volunteers commented that “Often times I feel
that we get just as much out of our work as the families do. We came away
feeling very good about all we had done.” Another stated that Saturday “ . . .
truly was a meaningful day and I know that we touched many lives. For me, it
was one of, if not THE, most inspiring days I've ever had with Good Works. It
fit a piece to the puzzle that I thought was missing.”
The Suber home in Coatesville
Contact Information
If you are willing to contribute a Saturday to share God’s love with
people in need living not too far from your neighborhood, or have questions
about Good Works, contact St. Peter's Good Works recruiter,
Mark Carkhuff
or at 610-935-1623. You are also invited to visit the
Good Works
website. And if you have already volunteered for a workday, but need
directions to the Good Works warehouse in Coatesville, PA, where we meet at
8:45 a.m. sharp on the second Saturday of every month,
click here.