More News

A group of parishioners from Twinbrook Baptist Church have worked with Habitat for Humanity for five years running. This year 26 volunteers spent a week fixing up a rundown house in Pennsylvania.

John Harris, a 76-year-old Twinbrook resident who organized the trip, said this year's project in Carlisle, Pa., marked the fifth year that the church has partnered with Habitat to build or fix up a house.

The church's one-week volunteer efforts have contributed to Habitat for Humanity home construction in Honduras; Morehead City, N.C.; Wellsville, N.Y.; and Garrett County, he said.

From July 13 to 18, the 17 adults and nine teenagers, ranging in age from 16 to 76, built two sheds and one deck on to two completed houses and helped to rehabilitate a row house that had fallen into disrepair, Harris said.

Working side by side, they patched up holes in the walls, added a few fresh coats of paint, installed new bathroom and kitchen fixtures, built a fence and replaced kitchen cabinets.

"It was very enjoyable and very challenging at the same time," Harris said. "I'm proud of all we accomplished."

Harris, who has been a member of Twinbrook Baptist for 50 years, said he first got the idea to organize a trip after he and his wife participated in a 2000 Habitat for Humanity build in New Mexico.

"We thought it'd be a good thing to do in the church setting," he said.

Paige Rickman, a recent graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, said in an e-mail message to The Gazette that she has been on four trips and has enjoyed each one. She added she became interested in participating after her aunt, who is a member of Twinbrook Baptist, showed her pictures of the trip to Honduras.

"Each trip I go on is different and amazing in its own way," she said. "Each family is so special and appreciative of all your work. It's really an amazing feeling to know you changed a person's life for the better."

The Kensington resident said more teens should get involved in such projects.

"There are so many different jobs on the worksite that you can participate in and you will never know what you can do till you try it," she said.

The Rev. Kip Ingram, pastor of Twinbrook Baptist, said he feels teens get a lot out of the trips beyond fulfilling their community service requirements for high school.

"It gives them a chance to see and understand the needs of another community and of communities in general," he said in an e-mail message to The Gazette. "It also teaches them some basic construction skills, and during the week, they gain confidence in what they can do. All this leads to a great sense of satisfaction in what they are able to achieve with their own hands."

Ingram, who has participated in three previous builds, said he enjoys the trips "even though they are hard work, and they don't always go exactly as we plan them.

"It also enables me to see first hand how lives are being changed for [the] better," he added. "The trip itself is a reflection of our church values in that we believe faith should find expression in tangible works of ministry and service. Every trip has embodied this value in its own way."