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At 87, carpenter is home-repair program's 'oldest teenager' 

Dec. 15, 2004	 News media contact:   Matt  Carlisle * (615) 742-5470* 
Nashville {04594}

NOTE: Related resources are available online at http://www.umc.org.

A UMC.org Feature
By Renee Elder* 

After 47 years in the construction business, Leon Arthur has every right to
kick back and enjoy a relaxing retirement. But instead, the 87-year-old works
alongside volunteers a fraction of his age to fix up houses for needy
families in South Carolina.

The effort is part of Salkehatchie Summer Service, a program for high school
and college-age youth sponsored by the United Methodist Church's South
Carolina Annual (regional) Conference. Arthur is known as the program's
"oldest teenager."

"I like to work with my hands, and I like to teach the kids how to do
things," says Arthur, a lifelong member of Cannon's Campground United
Methodist Church in Spartanburg, S.C.

The physical intensity and the spiritual lessons that transform the
volunteers as they labor together in mission separate the weeklong camps from
most youth programs, says the Rev. John Wesley Culp, who founded the program
in 1978 to assist struggling farmers near the Salkehatchie River in Hampton
County. The first season, Salkehatchie had one camp with 40 volunteers
working on four homes. Last summer, about 40 camps across the state had more
than 2,700 participants working on 225 houses.

"We usually have two adults to each house, and maybe 10 kids," Culp says.
"The work gives the kids confidence. Kids today are entertained to death, and
they want to be challenged."

The volunteers develop real relationships with the families they help, and
discuss those experiences each night at group meetings that are key elements
of the program. 

"We talk about the issues that are involved in each situation, such as
poverty and sometimes alcoholism," Culp says. "And the volunteers bring up
their own agendas for discussion. It's a therapeutic and spiritual
experience."

Volunteers pay $180 per person for the weeklong camps. The money covers the
cost of supplies for the project. Sponsor churches provide meals and a place
to stay.

Salkehatchie volunteers don't focus on cosmetic work for homeowners. They
specialize in tough projects, like replacing wood floors and installing
roofs. Because of his high-level skills, Arthur plays an important role on
the team.

"Mr. Leon does everything everybody else does," says Traci Bennett, site
director of the Cannon's Campground program. "In fact, we always put him on
the hardest site - the one that needs the most construction work."

Known for his keen wit, upbeat personality and amazing energy, Arthur is not
just a co-worker to the teen volunteers in Spartanburg.

He's more akin to a hero.

"He taught me how to do everything: hammer, use the circular saw, how to put
on porches, screen in porches, how you're supposed to level and re-lay a
floor, how to hang doors - everything," says Hannah Casey, 19, a six-year
veteran of the program.

Stephen Harris, 18, who has worked with Arthur for the past four years,
considers him a role model.

"I was not aware that a man of that age could work that hard," Harris says. 
"He gets up earlier than all of us and works harder than any of us.... I love
him. God uses him."

While Arthur stands out due to his advanced years, hundreds of others make
the summer service program a priority in their lives year after year. Flynn
Morris, a site director from Andrews, S.C., calls it "catching Salkehatchie
fever."

"When our church first started it three years, I said I'd help out," Morris
recalls. "Then I got involved and saw it with my own eyes. I could talk to
you about it until I'm blue in the face, but until you are in the middle of
it, it's hard to understand. It's very spiritual, very energetic. I've been
to revivals many times, but there's nothing like the Salkehatchie
experience."

Culp will tell the Salkehatchie story in a book he is co-writing with
longtime Salkehatchie volunteer Arlene Andrews. Publication is expected in
2005.

"It's not just about houses," Andrews says. "It's about families and homes
and really getting to know people. It's all about faith and personal growth."

As for Arthur, he is just looking forward to getting back to work at next
summer's camp.

"I like being a part of the Salkehatchie camp because I love people, and I
love to help people by improving their living conditions," he says. "That is
what God tells us to do."

More information about the Salkehatchie Summer Service is available online at

www.umcsc.org/tmpl.php?id=80&inc=2 or by calling (803) 786-9486.

*Elder is a freelance writer in Raleigh, N.C.

News media contact: Matt Carlisle, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5153 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service