Philippi, WV Work Mission Trip
Philippi. WV was a thriving mining town. Not so much today. The Holiday Park United Methodist Church has been traveling to Philippi, WV since 1988 to help re-built and repair deteriorating homes. Deciding which properties to select as mission worksites is one of the most difficult things to do. Every potential worksite that you see in Philippi, WV needs a great deal of improvement. Some require more time than money, others require great amounts of money and become labor intensive, and some are so far beyond a definition of “livable” that you don’t have a clue as to what to do first; except pray. The mission survey team encounters all of the aforementioned situations every year. So what do we do? The foundation of Methodism is based on five main guidelines for belief; scripture, tradition, experience, reason and witness. The survey crew keeps these guidelines in mind as site selections are made. Scripture and prayer are first and utmost. God will help us decide through His teachings and through prayer! Our tradition has sent us to Philippi to serve Christ through service to others. God draws us there! The trips to Philippi have given us experience with the culture and the needs in Philippi. God will help us to understand it! God has given us the ability to assimilate this information and form an opinion. With God’s help we can make decisions! Our prayer is that the sites that are selected each year are of God’s plan for our talents, resources, and enthusiasm. We have been working through Heart and Hand House, a Methodist facility that functions as a social agency providing shelter, repairs, food , clothing and financial assistance to the Philippi community. They also provide a Garden Market which affords the residents in and about Philippi a place to bring fruits and vegetables that they have grown to sell to others. Please keep the families that we will encounter each year in Philippi in your prayers that God might ease their minds of the uncertainty of their future and comfort them with His presence. Please support the Philippi, WV Work Mission trip through your prayers, services and financial gifts!
For more information, contact David Schroeder at dschroe987@gmail.com