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For the second year running, Cumberland's Church of the Holy Cross opened wide its picnic basket inviting in the students of the NAILS mission project.

NAILS is a church-based project whose mission, according to NAILS board member and Cumberland Pastor,Morton Harris of the First Presbyterian Church, is to "repair the homes of needy homeowners so that they can stay in their home as long as possible." Harris' own parish sponsors groups and allows them to stay at the church hall.

The catalyst for NAILS' formation as a refurbishing group was the January 1996 flood that devastated parts of Allegany County. After this significant weather event, local homeowners, many of whom were aged and/or disabled, found their homes greatly damaged and uninhabitable. Out of the Church's mission to meet community needs, NAILS was formed.

Another significant weather event struck Allegany County in 1998 when tornadoes swept through the area causing much damage.Once again, NAILS volunteers contributed to the overall success of the rebuilding effort.

The picnic was held at the home of Holy Cross stalwarts, Katie and Rick Kight. In conversations with the NAILS students, it became abundantly clear that this is literally a 'labor' of love. Sean Stegmaier, a student-leader with the Towson group explained that this was not his first time and that he has "kept coming back." When asked to recall something special about her NAILS service, Betsy Canaga of the Towson group paused."There are so many special times," she opined, and then offered a story about the installation of a wheelchair ramp at the home of a person with a disabling condition. She explained that it was a long ramp that was difficult and timely to install."The homeowners were so grateful that they invited us for lunch at the end of the process," she mused.

Half the picnic attendees were NAILS students. Among the Vienna,VA group was a high-school student named Phil Bickel. He said that this was his first time working with NAILS on home repair.When asked why he volunteers some of his summer vacation time to engage in this kind of work, he replied that it gives him a "sense of being able to help people."

The community of the Church of the Holy Cross was happy to sponsor the NAILS students and their mentors, and an open invitation exists for the summer 2005 picnic.
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Youth mission trip to Buffalo

By LAURA BALDASARRE

Laura Baldasarre

Sometime during 2003, St. Mark's Lappans adult youth leaders began contemplating a mission trip. It was the first time they had considered a trip of this kind for the church.They chose a work camp in Buffalo, New York organized by Group Work camps, a ministry of Group Publishing, Inc. This branch of the interdenominational developer of Christian education materials sets the primary goal of these work camps to be the spiritual growth of the participating youth and adults.

Funds for the trip were raised during a basket bingo held in January 2004. Support from the church community was strong, not only with the basket bingo but with donations of needed supplies. St. Mark's youth, Patrick Fraser, Dan Schell, Megan Wright, Laura Baldasarre, Colin Lodter, from St. John's Hagerstown, and their adult leaders, Cathy Ware and Andy McGinley, left on July 25 and returned July 31.

Each morning they reported to their work groups and left for their worksite at 7:45 a.m.They arrived around 8:00 a.m., and worked on a variety of home repairs and improvements, including dry-walling, roofing, painting, rebuilding a porch, and various other activities.Work stopped for lunch and daily devotions, in which the residents of the homes were invited. Each group worked at a different house.Workers enjoyed meeting people from different states and denominations, including Illinois, Maine, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. Altogether more than 375 participants, both adult and youth, worked on 62 sites.

Every afternoon the participants arrived back at the school they were staying in at about 3:30 p.m. Free time was granted until dinner and the start of the evening program.

The evening program always began with the singing of popular spiritual songs led by the staff and youth volunteers. Youth told of miracles that God had provided, such as keeping someone safe and unhurt during a fall, during "God-sightings." A different program followed this every night. Each devotion and program was based on Deuteronomy 6: 4-12, with the theme of the work camp being "Build to Last." Youth group devotions followed the evening program each night, and reinforced what had been discussed. Lights were out at 11:00 p.m.

Left to right, first row: Cathy Ware, Colin Lodter,Megan Wright, Laura Baldasarre. Back row: Dan Schell, Patrick Fraser,Andy McGinley

On Wednesday, everyone returned to the school at 12:30 p.m. and was given the afternoon off for youth group free time. The participants from St. Mark's visited nearby Niagara Falls, as did most of the youth groups attending the camp.

Everyone who participated from St. Mark's had a wonderful time and would love to return to another work camp. The entire week was an amazing experience for youth and adults alike.
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Ukuthula Makwande - may peace increase. A pilgrimage to South Africa

By JOHN DE BEER

In the summer of 2005, from June 19 to July 4, members of Memorial Episcopal Church and St. Martin's-in-the-Field will embark upon a pilgrimage to the Republic of South Africa.

The two-week trip is centered on three primary goals.The first is to develop a deeper appreciation for and understanding of today's South Africa and the Anglican (Episcopal) church's role in society; the second is to learn lessons of reconciliation and justice that we can bring back and apply in our own communities; and the third is to develop relationships among the members of our group and learn ways that we can work together more closely.Along the way, we will also enjoy the natural wonder and beauty of the country.

Leaders of the journey
The Rev. John de Beer, co-rector of St Martins-in-the-Field, is a native South African, born and raised in Johannesburg. His wife and co-rector,The Rev.Tricia de Beer, lived in South Africa for six years.The Rev. Martha Macgill, rector of Memorial Church, and her husband, Mr. R. Bryan Kelleher, lived in the town of Walkerviile, South Africa (15 miles south of Johannesburg) from 1997 to 2000.Throughout the journey, we will be using tour guides and conference facilities well known to the four leaders.

A few spaces are still available for other members of the Diocese of Maryland. If you are interested, please contact The Rev. John de Beer for more information at jdebeer@stmartinsinthefield.org or by phone at 410.647.6248.