of life out here,” said Maggie. (Published by Disciples Today, an online publication of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, August 2002)
Warm, sticky air greeted the F.A.S.T. volunteers as they arrived at the Appalachian South Folklife Center in rural Summers County, West Virginia. Adults weary from driving all day Sunday languidly vacated their vans and trucks while their teenage passengers sprung into action, running to a nearby grassy clearing to play frisbee football with an energy and enthusiasm seldom associated with daily chores and homework.
Disciples Volunteers in Mission F.A.S.T. interns, Maggie Faircloth and Alicea Ash, both college students on summer break, greeted the new arrivals, explained the housing arrangements and sent the adults unpacking.
Journal entryFriday July 12, 2002, Pipestem, W.Va. I sit back and enjoy my serine surroundings, watching the summer sunset bleeding into the mountains, thinking of all the work I’ve done this week. Generally I’m a good worker but since I was working for the good of another, I worked that much harder. Now the week's almost over, we leave tomorrow. And I think of how much I’m going to miss this. The beautiful surroundings, my acquaintances, and the feeling of self worth and satisfaction. And now I’m leaving with only memories and the knowledge of what I’ve learned this past week. If only I could do it again. Sure it wasn’t free and I didn’t get paid, but it was well worth it. If only the opportunity to go on a mission trip would have arose sooner, I would have jumped on it because it truly was a great thing. James Herrmann, 18, |
Once everyone had settled into their cabins, someone rang the large bell outside
the dining hall prompting everyone to the hall for orientation. Once everyone
arrived, Maggie and Alicea explained the Center rules, or how to live together
peacefully for a week. For instance, limiting showers to three minutes means
everyone gets a hot shower. Everyone is to be in their cabin by 10:30 p.m. and
lights out by 11 p.m. All of the buildings at the Center are open to F.A.S.T.
volunteers, such as the library, the chapel, the kitchen, the pony stables--but,
Alicea added, “don’t ride the ponies.” And one other thing ...
“bugs are kind of a way of life out here,” said Maggie.
As Maggie and Alicea spoke, a cat wandered across the room and plopped down next to one of the youth. Oh yes, the animals: B.J., the cat, Helga, an old German Shephard and Happy, a small floppy-eared dog, all live at the center. Spotty, a neighbor’s black and white spaniel dog, visits frequently. But, back to the rules, everyone will sign up to cook for a day--and the cooks shower first--and everyone will sign up to lead a daily worship.
With the rules out of the way, Maggie and Alicea launched into the real reason for the summer sojourn: the work F.A.S.T. volunteers have agreed to do. The jobs for the week included rehabilitation work on houses in a valley for three families who live about 40 minutes away. Tasks included painting, caulking, plumbing, flooring...and building bridges with the people of Appalachia.
Since 1998, Disciples, in partnership with the United Church of Christ and
the Commission on Religion in Appalachia have created mission opportunities
for church groups to do summer vacations with a purpose through F.A.S.T. or
Faithful Advocates Serving Together. Since the beginning, Jayna Powell, director
of Volunteers in Mission, said the program has expanded from one site to three
in Appalachia, and each week
, the 40 available slots fill quickly once registration
opens. So far, 1,714 U.C.C. and Disciple volunteers have participated in F.A.S.T.
Participating in a F.A.S.T. mission trip means hard work. The days are hot and wasps and flies and ticks look to volunteers for their next meal, and volunteers wonder if the people they serve really notice their efforts. But as one group pointed out at worship one evening, F.A.S.T. volunteers who participate in a F.A.S.T. trip expecting glory, likely will be disappointed. That prompted Liz and Aubrey, from Lakewood (Ohio) Congregational Church to suggest that “there’s no glory in mission.” However if volunteers participate in a F.A.S.T. trip to be an advocate to serve with others, they won’t be disappointed...especially when the moment happens when volunteers understand why they’ve given up their vacation to do mission.
Members of the Lakewood Church said they had spent two hot, humid days with
John*, a disabled volunteer fireman, painting his house and fixing his porch.
At the end of the second day, he disappeared in the house for a short time,
then returned with watermelon for the 15 or so F.A.S.T. volunteers working at
his house. 
“That made everything equal, we serve him and he serves us,” said Liz.
F.A.S.T. offers volunteers an opportunity to learn about themselves. Another U.C.C. volunteer, Lindsey from New Hampshire Conference, U.C.C. , discovered skills she didn’t know she had. “I discovered that I can build a cabinet,” she said. She had never done anything like that before.
One afternoon of each F.A.S.T. week is dedicated to economic justice training,
led by F.A.S.T. interns. In Summers County, one of the three 2002 F.A.S.T. sites,
volunteers can see the economic inequities as they travel through the mountains
to the homes of the people served. Additionally, volunteers learn how their
way of life compares with that of the people in Summers County, the second poorest
county in West Virginia, where the three major industries are wood, coal and
tourism. 
What volunteers see as they travel the back roads of West Virginia
reinforced one point Maggie made during the week, “Your help is needed
always.”
All together, during the week of July 8 to 13, 40 F.A.S.T. volunteers
worked on three houses. They sealed a house with wood protector,
painted two houses, laid a floor, fixed a porch, caulked windows,
painted window frames, fixed plumbing, built a cabinet and constructed
closets...and they formed friendships with three West Virginia families.
But now that the trip is over, the real work begins for F.A.S.T.
volunteers: advocating for the people of Appalachia.
*We have been asked not to reveal the actual names of the people we served
to protect their privacy.
By Angela Herrmann
Herrmann is director of Web site development for
Disciples Home Missions
of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Herrmann
spent her summer vacation with her nephew James in Pipestem, W. Va., as F.A.S.T.
volunteers.