St. Paul’s Volunteers Trade Prayer Books for Hammers and Saws at Habitat House

Ripping off roofs and knocking down walls aren’t typical activities for most parishioners from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynnfield, but on Saturday, September 6, 10 volunteers traded prayer books and hymnals for hammers and saws. The occasion was a day of labor at a nearby Habitat for Humanity - North Shore project at 1 Harrison Street in Salem.

The building in Salem is being renovated and reconfigured into two condominium homes for low-income families. Groups from churches, schools, and other organizations volunteer an occasional Saturday to help with the renovation work. The St. Paul’s volunteer group, organized by the church’s Outreach Committee, removed old roofing, knocked out window spaces and old walls, framed windows, and more. Carl Ogren, who coordinated the St. Paul’s volunteers, said, “Many of our outreach activities have a strong local community component. For this project, St. Paul’s invited members of the community who were not members of our parish to join our team. Outreach is a community responsibility and we (St. Paul’s) are trying to facilitate community involvement.”

This was the second time St. Paul’s volunteers worked on the Salem house and plans are underway for another work day this fall. Project leaders at the North Shore Habitat organization have set Christmas as the completion date goal.

Formed in 1985, Habitat for Humanity-North Shore is an affiliate project of Habitat for Humanity, Inc., an international Christian ministry to the housing needs of the world’s poor. See http://www.habitatforhumanity-northshore.com/ for more information about Habitat’s Salem Project. 

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 127 Summer Street in Lynnfield, was founded in 1918. Its Outreach Committee actively supports the needs of many organizations on the North Shore and the Greater Boston Area.