Salisbury Presbyterian Church APPALACHIA MISSION

Salisbury's first mission trip to Appalachia in April 2000 came to fruition after several of our members expressed the need and desire for an adult mission trip close to home. Nine SPC members ranging in age from 35 to 75 embarked on that first trip to Brenton, West Virginia, an old coal mining town. We worked with an organization called the Appalachian Service Project (ASP). ASP was founded several years ago by Rev. Tex Evans who created a way for people to touch each other with love while working to alleviate poverty through home repair projects. ASP offers year round opportunities for service in three locations.

Our group was housed and fed by ASP. Divided into two teams, one group laid carpet and painted a trailer which was owned by a father raising three children. The second group worked at two sites, repairing the structural supports of a home and building a small bridge across a creek at another location.

The May 2001 trip had seven returning team members and four new recruits. Our destination was Harlan County, Kentucky, also a coal mining town. We worked with an organization called COAP - Christian Outreach with Appalachian People. COAP's mission is to help provide safe, warm and dry housing for low and very low income residents of Harlan County.

COAP provided the housing and we prepared our own meals. The entire team from SPC worked on one new construction home along with two COAP carpenters. The job which we successfully completed was to install vinyl siding on the home. The COAP carpenters working along with us were so helpful in guiding all of us who were quite unskilled in the art of installing vinyl siding.

Our April 2002 trip was to Jonesville, Virginia in Lee County. Once again we were working with ASP and were housed and fed at their facility. The twelve SPC members included seven who had been on at least one previous Appalachian trip and five newcomers. We were divided into two teams, with one group of six working at the home of two sisters, one being severely disabled by MS. We painted a newly constructed handicap accessible bathroom and replaced a subfloor and linoleum in the kitchen. The second team of six replaced some flooring and walls that had been destroyed by termites at the home of an elderly woman.

Although these three mission trips took us to different locations in Appalachia, where we worked with new staff people and team members each year, they all had something in common. The fellowship we had together as a team was extraordinary. In the four days we were together, we got to know everyone and enjoy each other's company though many of us were strangers before we began. We traveled to three different states where we enjoyed beautiful scenery and experienced a culture very different from our own. We met staff people totally dedicated to serving Christ by helping people in their community who were living in poverty. We were touched by the lives of the people we served.

We are all thankful to have had these opportunites to go out as representatives of Salisbury Church and share the message of Christ's love with the people of Appalachia. It is our hope that we will continue with these trips each year and that more of our members will want to be included in this ministry.

Below is the Appalachia Mission Team's report of our last mission trip:

The Appalachia Mission Team arrived back in Midlothian Sunday, March 21, a little tired and maybe with a few extra aches and pains, but with such uplifted spirits and joy in our hearts.

Our 12 members worked in 2 teams on 2 different homes. One group of 6 worked on the home of a delightful elderly woman whose home had been destroyed by termites, replacing supports and flooring, and insulating walls. The second group worked on the home of 2 disabled sisters, removing several layers of vinyl flooring in a kitchen, laying a sub-floor and new vinyl as well as painting a newly built handicap-accessible bathroom which had been added on to the small home by prior mission teams.

During our 2 days of work, we got to know our families and some of their relatives and friends who came by. In addition to completing our tasks, we listened, talked, shed a few tears, and prayed with them.

We departed knowing that we had touched their lives and they in turn had touched ours in a way that we will not forget.And once again a group of Salisbury Presbyterian Church members, some being total strangers at our first planning session, returned after 4 days having made new friends and experienced great fellowship together.

We thank all of you at SPC for your support of our mission programs, and for your thoughts and prayers that go with us.


	These photos are from our Appalachian Mission Trips: #1 - April, 2002 to Jonesville, VA; #s 2-3 - April 2001 to Harlan, KY.; and #s 4-5 - May, 2000 to West VA. See below for more information.

OUTREACH - APPALACHIA MISSION TEAM REPORTS