Deacon Mike Stewart's Experiences with Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM)
Coming Home!
by the Rev. Michael O. Stewart, Ph.D.
It was eight years ago that I last attended an Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM) work camp at Mont Eagle, TN. Much has changed in my life since then—retirement, new diocese, clergy couple, 9/11, etc. But what did not change was my love and fascination for Appalachia and its people. I felt drawn; my diaconal vows were calling me “home.”
I spent the first week of August in St. Paul, VA, housed and fed at Grace House, which was full of grace. I initially flew to Knoxville, TN, to see my two children and four grandchildren. Driving the three hours to Grace House, the second thing I noticed after entering southern Virginia and its winding two-lane roads was the visibly “nice and presentable” houses. Near Sewanee where I had worked before, the houses fit my stereotype of very “run down” Appalachian homes—so much for my stereotypes and my education about Appalachia. In the county where we worked, sixty families had no running water and some had no indoor plumbing and no electricity in this 21st century.
But the people are the same loving persons—children of God. It was a wonderful “fringe benefit” to work at three different sites. At the first site of an 82 year old widower, we built a roof over his deck and installed a screen door to his porch. At the second site of a 50ish widow, we taped and mudded the wall board of a recent addition to the house, painted a large front porch and steps (I never want to see “battleship grey enamel paint again), replaced siding, and cut and installed ceiling molding. I had never used a miter saw before, only a miter box. Lastly, several of us helped at Grace House by cleaning and repairing gutters, mowing the huge yard, and installing a veneer floor in a room at their new resident director’s house.
The real beauty of EAM is getting to know your “clients.” What a gift! I remember at my first camp the confusion some teenagers had with the young Appalachian men watching the others work even though they were physically able to help. Life in Appalachia is more than monetary poverty. It is a way of life and a culture where building codes and inspects do not exist. At another work sight the very reserved husband hugged some of the workers after they had completed their work.
If you would like an adventure or a wonderful learning experience with teenagers and adults, I commend your parish or diocese to consider a week at EAM. The cost is $165 per person and you have to get there. The camps for 2006 are the last week of July and the first week of August. You do not need to be specially gifted in house remodeling.
Mike Stewart serves as a deacon at St John’s Episcopal Church in Mason City, IA. He can be reached at dcnmike@mchsi.com.
by the Rev. Michael O. Stewart, Ph.D.
It was eight years ago that I last attended an Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM) work camp at Mont Eagle, TN. Much has changed in my life since then—retirement, new diocese, clergy couple, 9/11, etc. But what did not change was my love and fascination for Appalachia and its people. I felt drawn; my diaconal vows were calling me “home.” I spent the first week of August in St. Paul, VA, housed and fed at Grace House, which was full of grace. I initially flew to Knoxville, TN, to see my two children and four grandchildren. Driving the three hours to Grace House, the second thing I noticed after entering southern Virginia and its winding two-lane roads was the visibly “nice and presentable” houses. Near Sewanee where I had worked before, the houses fit my stereotype of very “run down” Appalachian homes—so much for my stereotypes and my education about Appalachia. In the county where we worked, sixty families had no running water and some had no indoor plumbing and no electricity in this 21st century.
But the people are the same loving persons—children of God. It was a wonderful “fringe benefit” to work at three different sites. At the first site of an 82 year old widower, we built a roof over his deck and installed a screen door to his porch. At the second site of a 50ish widow, we taped and mudded the wall board of a recent addition to the house, painted a large front porch and steps (I never want to see “battleship grey enamel paint again), replaced siding, and cut and installed ceiling molding. I had never used a miter saw before, only a miter box. Lastly, several of us helped at Grace House by cleaning and repairing gutters, mowing the huge yard, and installing a veneer floor in a room at their new resident director’s house.
The real beauty of EAM is getting to know your “clients.” What a gift! I remember at my first camp the confusion some teenagers had with the young Appalachian men watching the others work even though they were physically able to help. Life in Appalachia is more than monetary poverty. It is a way of life and a culture where building codes and inspects do not exist. At another work sight the very reserved husband hugged some of the workers after they had completed their work.If you would like an adventure or a wonderful learning experience with teenagers and adults, I commend your parish or diocese to consider a week at EAM. The cost is $165 per person and you have to get there. The camps for 2006 are the last week of July and the first week of August. You do not need to be specially gifted in house remodeling.
Mike Stewart serves as a deacon at St John’s Episcopal Church in Mason City, IA. He can be reached at dcnmike@mchsi.com.
posted by Mission Team ~ Iowa at 4:46 PM
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