Greetings Work Campers,
As 2016 winds down the work camp staff thanks you for your service this year and we wish you a Christ filled holiday season. Red Bird Mission Work Camp had a great year serving Christ in the Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Many lives were touched and changed by the hands and feet of Christ!
There is much to be thankful for as we close out the year. First, looking at the 2017 and 2018 work camp seasons, we will NOT be raising our work camp fees. They will remain at the $375 per person! There will be a change in the payment schedule for the 2018 season and that information will be communicated next month.
2016 saw a lot of changes at Red Bird Mission and many prayers were answered. We had 179 church groups, with 2,376 work campers, put in 76,544 volunteer hours to complete 362 projects. In addition our newest ministry, the Red Bird Home Build Project, built the first home for a needy family. This project is comprised of a number of churches from the Murfreesboro, TN area and is led by St Marks UMC of Murfreesboro.
Below is a list of the projects all groups completed this year;
| Project Type | Number of Projects | Project Type | Number of Projects | |
| Bathroom Remodel | 29 | Gutter Replacement | 7 | |
| Dorm Bunk Bed | 10 | Kitchen Remodel | 25 | |
| Deck & Stoop | 39 | House Painting | 50 | |
| Demolition | 1 | Power Washing | 9 | |
| Door Replacement Projects | 31 | Room Addition | 4 | |
| Emergency Wheelchair Ramp | 29 | Shingle Roof Projects | 52 | |
| Exterior Wall Repair | 5 | Siding Repair | 2 | |
| Fence Repair | 5 | Walls/Ceiling Repair | 25 | |
| Flooring Repair | 90 | Window Projects | 29 | |
| Flue Kit Installation | 9 | Underpinning | 7 |
God does not call individuals and groups just to exercise their talents at work camp but to network and provide resources to the varied ministries of Red Bird Mission. Through your generous hearts Outreach received enormous donations of clothing, food, Christmas gifts, furniture, and items for the baby pantry. The school received a brand new 66 passenger school bus. Work camp received a new truck and a van is on its way. The Craft Program is getting a new van in December. And funds were donated for the Boys Dorm expansion.
Work Camp received funds to purchase furniture and air units for The Cave (4 private rooms at work camp with a common area). These rooms will be used for those participants that desire to be volunteer crew leaders and for work campers that want a private room.
Looking to 2017 we have received 250 applications for community home repair and expect 30 to 40 emergency applications during the year. Our continued support of the campus ministries will have us working on a complete remodel of a teacher's home, a number of Green Tin Roof installations, repairs to the Senior Center and Outreach buildings, repairs to the Asher Log Cabin, and our annual maintenance of Red Bird Christian School over the summer months. At Work Camp, we will continue the project of restoring the Amphitheater. This project was started by Bogers Chapel UMC, with assistance from several other groups, building a 350 foot walking ramp to the Amphitheater. A stage will be built and two more rows of seating added. This will be used by the school for outdoor concerts, for sunrise services, and possibly for work camp closing services and a movie night.
The deck between Martin and Bob White cabins will have a roof built over it and the deck repaired. This will provide another gathering place for you during your stay next year. Picnic tables were recently added to these cabins. During the winter we will add a number of benches around the campus, remodel the work camp kitchen to install the new walk-in Freezer/Fridge, and perform basic maintenance to the work camp cabins.
Our major project for next year is the remodel of Cardinal House (upstairs). This started today with the refinishing of the hardwood floor by work camp staff. Starting in February, work camp teams will insulate the building, install windows, and re-wire the building in preparation for the installation of a new HVAC system (donations will gladly be accepted). This work is to be done before June, in preparation for the summer groups and the need for air conditioning.
As we celebrate Christmas let us be ever mindful that not just this season, but the whole year needs to just be about HIM. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New year from all of us at Red Bird Mission Work Camp!
"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17)
In His Grip,
Bob, DJ, Susan, Bobby, Lisa, Gail, Tim, Kevin, Pino, Andrew, Cody, Jared, Brett, Dawson, and Dylan