Youth Work Camp

The founder of the Work Camp is the Rev. Bob Bondurant, a Presbyterian minister…with assistance of his wife, Beth, who could sing like an angel!

First It was the Webster County Work Camp, in one of the most rural counties in the state, with only one stoplight in the whole county!!

Bob was called to serve the church in Upper Glade, WVA, and at the same time new ministers also came to the Baptist and Methodist churches in Webster Springs.

This was the time when many of the coal mines were closed, so those needing jobs moved to cities, like Pittsburgh, Detroit, places where they could find work.

At this time in the early 70’s, Dennis and I attended Faith Presbyterian Church in St. Clair Shores, MI.  We worked with the senior high youth.

That year, our minister, Pastor Richard Smith, attended a seminar at Yale and met the Rev. Calvin McCutcheon, the Methodist minister from Webster Springs, WVA!  Pastor Smith came back and told us about the WVA Work Camp and encouraged us to take some of our youth!! We did!

Youth have come from FL, MA, NJ, OH, the Carolinas, wherever the word has spread.  And some youth from the WVA churches as well.

At that time, youth lived with WVA families in their homes, often a chance to learn about the rich Appalachian culture and the beautiful spirit of the people.

The purpose of the work camp has always been to provide a mutual experience of work, worship, study and interaction between youth and adults from different cultures and denominations, so that, together, they might celebrate their oneness in Christ and minister in God’s name to those in need.

Adults and youth were assigned to crews and given tasks like painting the house or tar-papering the roof or digging a ditch and in a few cases, building a new outhouse!! Often foreign skills to the youth. The real goal is that homes are WARM, SAFE and DRY!

Actually, the greatest danger was the mountains of WVA!  Not only driving those curvy mountainous roads but if your hammer slid off the roof, it could be gone forever down the mountainside!  Lumber was often cut on sawhorses stationed in the street – or I should say road, no matter how rough that road might be! But the PEOPLE!! They are so happy to have company, especially having young people around!  And getting something repaired, or replaced, built new, was a true blessing. (Did I mention that the work camp was two weeks long!! What were we thinking!) But, LOVE Works!

In the early 80’s, Bob was called to be the Presbyterian Campus Minister at Marshall University and the work camp concepts and program moved with him!!  Now we have the Wayne County Work Camp with the campers housed in cabins at Cabwaylingo State Park – girls in one large barrack-like cabin and the boys in another. In 1990, the Cabwaylingo Presbyterian Chapel called a full-time minister, and that man became the Director of that camp. (That camp name was a combination of the names of the counties served by the work camp: Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln and Mingo.

I think that’s when the Work Camp changed to only one week.

In the summer of 1991, the Cabell-Lincoln County Work Camp developed leadership from the Huntington area Presbyterian churches and Camp Asbury Woods, a Methodist camp, became the housing site for the youth and adults.  The work campers did repairs and constructed the shelter house where the adults and youth gather for singing, worship and entertainment, even now.   Housing has gone from two structures of eight sets of bunk beds to housing with hot-water showers, air-conditioning, more comfortable beds…plus the camp has a swimming pool and a GREAT sand volleyball court!  And of course, there is a Mess Hall for breakfast, dinner and finding good access to wi-fi!! Those area churches take turns preparing breakfast every morning and have sandwiches ready to “pack a lunch”!  Large coolers of cold water accompany every crew to their work sites.

(A homeowner with popsicles at 2 in the afternoon, gets loud cheers from their crew!!)

Jobs expanded: building decks for trailers which have now found their way “up the hollars” and trailers needed underpinning to keep the critters out from underneath; repairing steps, nailing up T-111 siding, actually shingling roofs, constructing ramps, whatever is needed!

The day starts with breakfast at 8am and then off to the job site. Back by 4:30ish, time to clean up, maybe even take a dip in the pool, dinner, an early evening gathering of singing, prayer and reflection, time for some fun if you have any energy left, and an evening snack before you “hit the sack!”

Wednesday is HUMP DAY and work ends at noon and often crew leaders take their crew out to lunch and to visit the Marshall University campus, go shopping or go back to camp to REST or just hang out.  That day is usually WEST VIRGINA Day so the evening may have local entertainment – storytelling, country music, line dancing, skits, etc.

The Easts get jobs in Bowling Green, Ohio, buy a house in Perrysburg and join First Presbyterian Church.  And we work with the youth.  Of course, WV Work Camp comes up…and Matt and Travis Gates and John Celley are interested in going to Work Camp. They were young, but experienced Boy Scouts, so they were registered…attended, and were safely returned to their parents! Travis reported that his second year was even better than the first!  He said, “I had a job on a mobile home. Our crew of six, coated the roof to prevent leakage, refloored the kitchen, replaced the ceiling drywall in the bathroom, sealed the bathtub, made awnings over the window to prevent further leakage, and also tiled the hall and the kitchen along with replacing the plumbing fixtures for the washer.  We stayed in good humor despite the heat and humidity.  We were a team and we did our best to make sure those kids and their mother has a dry and safe home to live in!!”

Those boys were the best “advertisements” for Work Camp!  In the following years, Hannah Lindsey, Cara Cain, Kathy Jarosz’s  3 granddaughters, John’s sister, Liz, attended several years and was even my co-crew leader one year, John Salvage (and his guitar), and Macie Downs attended and she shared her beautiful singing voice, Ross Martin (who started as a 7^th grader), and is going this year (as a graduate student completing his doctorate), Rikki Gilts, Keegan Miller, Molly Miller,  Daniel Phillips, Abbey Youel and Rachael Youel, Thomas Beebe and -I am sure I am forgetting someone… And several of those named have gone more than one year! Or even more than 2 years!!

And adults, Ed Ashley, Don Youel, Jay Salvage, Pastor Steve Hill, Tiffany Zinn, Paster Margaret Fox and Youth Director, Tyra Jones, Susan Miller and the Easts, Dennis, Kathy, Brian and Brad! All agree the sign on the bridge crossing the Ohio River to Huntington, WVA, should still say, “Almost Heaven, West Virginia!” The people and the view, make it a lasting blessing!  

Covid meant NO work camp for a couple of years because the numbers within the state were so high.  Bringing back “the old days” will take time, but those churches and local leaders know the need still exists and they pray for support from whomever can come and share their skills and enthusiasm and continue to demonstrate that LOVE still WORKS!

Can’t tell you how pleased I am that First Presbyterian Church of Perrysburg will have youth there, representing us!  Halleluiah!  Many thanks to the Mission team of this church for their continuing support as well as financial support, of this successful effort for our youth to experience the true meaning of Mission. Adult camper,

Susan Miller’s report to the congregation ended with the statement, “Work Camp feeds the soul!”  I AGREE!!

In my heart, I thank God for allowing me all those years…AMEN!

Kathy East

April 14, 2024