Good Works, Inc. is a Christian home repair ministry located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania formed to assist economically disadvantaged homeowners in Chester County. By helping to make their homes warmer, safer and drier, hopelessness is replaced with the hope found in Jesus Christ. Services are provided at no cost to the homeowner, with volunteers - including a growing number of St. Peter's parishioners - doing the on-site work. This is St. Peter's report for February 12, 2005.

A Good Works Report for February 2005
by Art Wrenn

As in so much of life, it’s what’s inside that counts. Only after one determines core strength can one assess how a problem should be corrected. And in so many of the older homes in which Good Works serves, what you see is probably not “what you get.”

A smaller than usual St. Peter’s volunteer group gathered early Saturday morning at the Good Works shed in Coatesville to collect the tools and supplies needed for their two work assignments. One team, led by Jason Hacker and Hugh McClennan, with veterans Mark Carkhuff, Karen Joyce, and Susan & Bob Dickinson, departed for their continuing repairs to the home of Mrs. Catherine Robinson. The other team, led by Tom Brehm and Roger Thorne, with newcomer Randy Klein and veterans Art Wrenn and Ken Fleischer, left to finish up their year-long assignment at the home of Mrs. Esther Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson’s home has needed a great deal of work to make her house “warmer, safer and drier.” This Saturday, in addition to adding insulation batting to a house that “leaks cold air like a sieve”, a plan to repair/replace a portion of the central supportive beam upholding the entire house was to be carried out. An initial assessment had showed that what was required was a four foot replacement section.

To fully access the supportive beam, one must descend into the low ceilinged and ill-lit basement, filled to overflowing with almost a century of antiques, memorabilia, tools, and collectables. Before any repairs could be made, this ‘stuff’ must be moved aside, a logistics nightmare in itself. Once accomplished, a thorough on-the-spot investigation of the old beam provided an unpleasant surprise.

What we discovered was that we were not the first workers on the scene. An army of termites had beaten us to the wooden beam several years before, and had successfully eaten away the integrity of at least this portion of the beam. We safely supported the superstructure by erecting floor jacks. Then, as we began our four foot replacement, we realized the full extent of the decay. One cut with the power saw and an entire 8-foot beam section began to crumble and fall away, wood dust cascading to the floor. Somehow, even with the almost total decay on the inside of the beam, the house had remained upheld . . . but for how long before collapsing upon itself?

The actual installation of a new 8-foot beam was carried out easily. Perhaps we were just in time – in such things one never know. Our floor jacks remain in place, awaiting next month’s replacement of the remaining 18 feet of the center load-bearing beam. The team left that day glad to have been able to be of important help in protecting Mrs. Johnson’s home.

The next Good Works workday will be Saturday, March 12th. If you are interested in learning more about this ministry, click here. Regardless of your skill level, if you want to join in showing God’s love by providing tangible help in people’s lives, contact our recruiter Mark Carkhuff or at 610-935-1623.

For driving directions to the Good Works warehouse in Coatesville, where we meet at 8:45 a.m. on the second Saturday of EVERY month, click here. You really are welcome to join us, with or without technical skill, in this important ministry to our neighbors.