Summer seems the time for St. Joan’s to field its teams - sending contingents off to Chicago on Team Oz for the AIDS ride, having a delegation in Guatemala, and being represented at the Paint-a-thon by Brushes With Greatness! This past Saturday saw the members of our parish, armed with scrapers and wire brushes and equipment for minor repairs, assembled at a one and a half story home on Queen Avenue North. The heat and humidity were a bit daunting, especially to some of us older folks, but the many tasks got accomplished, with none of the predicted cloudbursts.

Julie Madden, SJA's Peace and Justice Coordinator, provided us all with a generous supply of food and beverages, as well as the necessary encouragement and cheerleading!

The chance to get better acquainted with others from the parish is always a wonderful benefit of activities joined through this community, and Saturday provided yet another opportunity for this. The 20 workers, who spent the better part of the day armed with the appropriate equipment, were able to get the house and the garage ready for next week’s painting spree. This, however, did not preclude lots of conversation. A dominant theme, in addition to the work related topics, was the great appreciation felt by everyone for the place we call our church home.

We look forward to finishing up this week(August 3), when we will be joined by a crew from Westminster Presbyterian.

The homeowner is excited to have his place getting the needed work, and we are all pleased to be part of making that happen! Oh - pray for kinder weather, could you?

The day of the actual painting dawned a bit cooler, but a little threatening, weather-wise. The team, together with the Westminster folks, gathered for an all out effort to beat the rain.

How does all this activity come about? That is an interesting story in itself. The Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches is the coordinating agency. They recruit the teams, arrange for orientation of team leaders, visit each home and have inspectors who calculate materials needed and necessary repairs. Then the homes are paired with volunteer teams.

The materials are either donated or received at deep discounts. The paint comes from Hirshfield's Decorating Centers, and 3M supplied sanding bricks and other products from their inventory. Padco Inc. provided paint kits to each team - with brushes, pans and other appropriate supplies. The Director at the GMCC this year was Katherine Panasuk, and the Coordinator was Julie Johnson. They got flyers donated by Minuteman Press and power washers for each team from Graco.

Jean Jachman is a consummate volunteer. Jean pitches in at the parish office, waits tables at Cabaret, and contacts and schedules the readers for masses. All that and a career as a nurse that included time in a refugee camp on the Thailand-Cambodia border.
Bob Beutel is a 20+ year "Joanie", a member St. Paul Saints Small Christian Community, the Scripture Study group, and the SJA Bookstore assistant manager. Bob says he is married to a very spiritual spouse whose challenges keep him active at SJA. They have three daughters and two granddaughters. Bob claims to be blessed beyond belief.
Julie Madden cannot say enough good things about the helpfulness and organization provided by the Director and the Coordinator. In pulling together approximately 2500 volunteers, pairing them with 107 homeowners, and then arranging to have all information and materials available where and when its needed, these two women made it happen!

The day sped on as the homeowner, who had painted this place many times in the nearly 50 years he's lived there, was available for consultation, was sought out for advice and commentary! Racing against time, people were concentrated and enthusiastic. Just as materials were packed away, and everyone could celebrate, the rains came!

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of this massive project by the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches. St. Joan's cannot claim to have been involved all that time, but we have fielded teams for at least the past 10 years, beginning early in Jim Maurer's time here as Peace and Justice Coordinator. We plan to do it again next year, and hope you'll join this marvelous effort.

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