Stories 2005

Bob Burgwald
Flossmoor, Illinois

Thanks once again for the opportunity to share the work camp experience. There is a special dimension to daily life at EAM for me, partly from the spirituality which flows like oxygen, but mainly from the community which unites us.

For me, the central point of the week was our Tuesday night meeting in which we discussed our uncompletable project. All of us, I think, felt diminished by it, but we understood the necessity of being present to the pain and not denying its reality. This unflinching attitude served to sharpen our joy as the week wound to a successful completion.

My week at camp is not just something I do - it's something I need. Being in the company of likeminded individuals restores my balance. I cherish the open-ended conversations with people I've only just come to know. For me, it's irreplaceable.

God's peace.

But my rector and my spouse colluded in sending me to this work camp, and I am not quite sure of the motives of either of those personages. I gather they thought the experience would be good for me. Don't we all know people who think they know what is best for others?

So being outnumbered, I went. And thus commenced a time of extreme irony, with me imagining Jesus up there enjoying Himself in His very amusing design for my week.

First of all, behold my gay self going to Virginia, the most homophobic state in the nation bar none, if its hateful, anti-gay laws are any indication. “Oh well,” I sighed and disconcertingly recalled St. Thomas' words: “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

The irony was further enhanced when I got to Grace House and was given my assignment: I was to help re-roof a house with a steep pitch. Let me explain that I have such a fear of heights that the higher I climb on a ladder the more vividly I see my fallen, broken body lying on the ground. (Nonetheless, I kept my acrophobia to myself and when the secret slipped out midweek my workmates had had no idea that while I was on the roof I was busy dying a thousand deaths.)

The next irony was that evening meetings at Grace House were very much devoted to discussing our feelings and contemplating our nave. This is not easy for one who has successfully avoided every “quiet day,” all use of the labyrinth and who stopped showing any outward feelings years ago. I frankly feared lest the group break into a verse or two of “Kum Ba Yah,” but mercifully it never did.

The final irony occurred on the closing evening when a Pentecostal family performed a concert of Christian mountain music. It should be noted that my favorite musical genre is hip hop, rap and otherwise decidedly urban in nature. (But I have to say I enjoyed the music for its uniqueness and the contrast it represented to my own musical preferences.)

“So, Lord, did You have a good time at my expense?” I asked after I got home. But then the strangest thing happened. I seemed to hear Him say, “Yes I did and you enjoyed yourself too! And you will never forget Mrs. B.'s tears as she thanked you for her new roof. And you will never be the same.”

Jane Pruter-Scherlis
Centennial, Colorado

Some things never change .....thank God!

Everyone should have a place like Grace House on the Mountain where you are lovingly embraced - heart and soul. If you need recharging, retreat, refreshment, or acceptance - work camp is the yellow brick road. There is a powerful magic in the community created in those six and 1/2 days. Surely the Spirit is at work as the participants gather to offer a mish mash of talents and gifts to the work projects.

With humility and a willingness to undertake all sorts of restorative jobs, teams are formed and a fellowship begins. Brains, brawn, humor, encouragement, teaching, and administration come together to work toward a common goal. No gift is too humble to empower the effort. As we gather all together for dinner and worship it is energizing to hear other reports of workers being blessed in the giving.

It is far more than an honor or a privilege to enjoy Vickianne's hospitality, Sandy's organization, and Vileta's culinary offerings. Nothing touches me more deeply than to be a guest at work camp each summer in July!!

Some things never change ... THANK GOD!!!

The work camps of the summer of 2005 were the easiest ones in the ten years we have been doing them. That was a real blessing, since EAM had to scramble to find a new work camp director following the death of our regular director’s father just weeks before the camp started. We certainly missed Charles Lehrbach, his leadership and his knowledge, but Kate Hannon stepped in and more than took up the slack. She had the home repair skills and experience and a leadership style that added so much to the success of the two weeks. It’s always anxiety producing to contemplate working with a person one does not know, but within a matter of hours Kate had set everyone’s minds at ease.

Work camp is always a group effort, especially since we have so many people who return year after year. If fact, one of the priests who was with us this year was here for the ninth time. Sharing talents in the heat In the July sun with temperatures of 95 and 96 degrees and humidity of more than 80 per cent, two different work crews removed and replaced tin roofs. Another group replaced shingles on a sharply pitched roof; another did dry walling in a recent home addition; and another installed linoleum, kitchen cabinets and counters, and several windows for a family of five.

In God’s wonderful timing, we had an experienced plumber with us the first week who was able to do hook ups and drain the water standing under one of the houses. Since we had a master electrician with us the second week — and since the space under the house was now dry — the work crew was able to rewire much of the family’s home. This allowed them to plug in more than two electric appliances at the same time and to eliminate the use of extension cords into the bathroom.

In the two weeks we had 41 work campers from 14 different dioceses in nine different states.
They are pleased to share their experiences with you in the stories below and on the following pages.