Youth Groups from six area churches are spreading the love of Christ by helping residents in need to repair their homes during a ministry entitled “Project Sweat.”

Approximately 60 teens from Coggin Avenue Baptist Church (CABC), Southside Church, First Baptist Church of Brownwood, Abundant Life, First United Methodist Church Brownwood (FUMC)and Early First Baptist Church (EFBC) are scraping, repairing and painting, and even doing a little roofing on four homes this week.  According to EFBC youth minister Joe Baucum, another home will be worked on later this summer.

The homes are located in Brownwood, Early and at Lake Brownwood.  Most of the work on the homes will be completed Thursday.  Adult leaders including recent graduates, church volunteers and youth ministers helped the students with the repairs.

CABC adult volunteer Mike Rosato stated that the project is based on an idea, “a ministry outreach like Samaritan’s Purse, which uses the idea of doing ministry because of our love for Jesus Christ, sharing faith in a tangible way.”

He explained that the participants of Project Sweat do work that serves two purposes, not only helping those in need, but also they learn skills that are useful in the future.

“They (the teen volunteers) get to see the needs other people have and grasp the idea that they can make a difference,” said Rosato.  “They also get to learn how to do manual labor which may benefit them in their own lives and the principal of working together.”

One volunteer, David Woods from FUMC Brownwood was excited to make a difference in the life of the woman whose house his group is working on.

“It’s been pretty crazy this week, we actually got to destroy a floor yesterday which was really sagging,” said Woods.  “The cabinets had to be tied to the wall because the floor was so bad that they leaned forward.  We had to remove the carpeting and hardwood floor under it and are rebuilding the floor.”

The owner of the home was very thankful for the help.  She smiled and was very happy about the new bright colors she chose for the exterior paint the group applied.

“It’s been absolutely phenomenal,” said the owner.  “They have done a good job and have worked so hard.  I wouldn’t have been able to do this by myself.  I’m very proud to have the work done.”

At another home, the youth tore out rotting windows of a back addition to the home and enclosed the room with new siding.  The home also received a nice green and yellow exterior paint job from the project.

Youth involved in the project gather at the host church each morning at 6:30 a.m. to have a quick breakfast and then get to work on the homes, often staying until 3:00 p.m. or later.  The work is done at no charge to the homeowners.

Pictured above and below are youth working on two of the homes located in Brownwood.