Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Summer 2012 Issue | Page 23

Home Repair. The program, started
in 1991, emphasizes that it’s “not
intended as a hand-out, but a handup.” Susan Ficklin, a member of St.
Anne’s, Reston, says that these trips
are rewarding because they “provided
a means of bonding for our teens and
formed a nucleus for our youth group.
It has given many of them (and the
adults) a heart for mission. Several of
our teens have ‘graduated’ to adult
missions and even careers.”

These are certainly not the
only churches in the Diocese that
participate in this mission. Emmanuel,

Delaplane has partnered with Group
Work Camps on home repair mission
work in Webster County, W.Va. All
Saints’, Richmond; Episcopal High
School, Alexandria; and Grace Church,
Alexandria, among many others, are
also on the list of Virginia churches
with Appalachia mission ties. “This
area is ripe for partnerships with
churches in our diocese,” said Buck
Blanchard, director of mission and
outreach for the Diocese of Virginia.
“There is real and pressing need for
mission assistance in these areas in
and surrounding our own state. This

Learn More & Get Involved
Highland Educational Project
Appalachia Service Project
Dungannon HELP Home Repair
Grace House
Episcopal Appalachian Ministries

highlandeducationalproject.org
asphome.org
ddcinc.org
graceappalachia.org
visit-eam.org

type of mission work is particularly
well-suited for youth looking to get
involved in mission for the first time,
or those looking to step out of their
own backyards a bit.”

So how does a church get started
with mission work like this? Miller’s
advice is to “educate your parishes
on the realities of Appalachia, its
history (of exploitation and hardship),
its faltering if not dying economy, its
imperiled environment, and above
all, the loving, faithful character of
most of its people.” Ambrose explains
that “there are a lot of organizations
that have the groundwork in place for
Appalachian ministry. Don’t attempt
to reinvent the wheel…Seek and you
shall find wonderful ways to engage
ministry in Appalachia.” t

50 YEARS OF CAMPS AT SHRINE MONT
FRANCES CALDWELL
Discernment is a time to prayerfully consider what God
is calling us to do. As the diocesan camps at Shrine Mont
celebrate their 50th anniversary, it is a good time to look
at what our camp facilities need for the future. It is your
vision which is critical to maintaining and strengthening
the future of our camps. Please come to a discernment
gathering this fall, to hear more about these possibilities
for our children, to share your thoughts and dreams and to
be a part of God’s work being done through our diocesan
camps at Shrine Mont.
9/ 4
9/ 6
9/ 11
9/ 25
10/ 2
10/ 9
10/ 11
10/ 18
10/ 23
10/ 29
10/ 30

St. Thomas’, Richmond
St. James’, Leesburg
Emmanuel, Harrisonburg
Holy Comforter, Vienna
Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville
Trinity, Fredericksburg
Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, Alexandria
St. Stephen’s, Culpeper
Christ Church, Winchester
St. John’s, West Point
Grace, Kilmarnock

6:30-8 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
6:30-8 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
6:30-8 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
7:30-9 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
4:30-6 p.m.
4:30-6 p.m.

St. George’s Camp cabin six in 1992.

Summer 2012 / VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN

21