Habitat for Humanity
Mission Work in our Community
Announcing our April
Habitat for Humanity Build!
Location:
Linden Street Columbia Build, 5 new townhomes across from the Turkey Hill Experience.
Dates:
Wednesday, April 15 through Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18: Intergenerational build
Times:
7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Tasks:
Framing, interior trim, and insulation installation
Contact: Julia Witmer Gallagher; juliawgallagher@gmail.com | 609 -937-2494
Click here to download the signup instructions.
Click here to register your spot on the Habitat for Humanity website.
About Habitat for Humanity
Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity partners with local first-time homebuyers who are making around 40-80% of our area’s annual median income. When an applicant is accepted, that homebuyer completes 250-400 hours of sweat equity towards the completion of their home. Habitat also utilizes as much volunteer labor as possible from local community members to keep building costs down.
Once the home is finished and the sweat equity hours are completed, Habitat is able to offer the homebuyer a 20-30 year mortgage at an affordable rate (around 30% of their monthly income) at a 0% interest rate. The new homeowners pay that monthly mortgage to Habitat and that is what enables the Habitat to keep building new homes.
Responding to the needs
right in our own backyard
2025 Spring Dates:
March 12, 13, 14 & 15: (Saturday to include youth 16 years and older. Youth 18 and older are welcome and encouraged to join us any and all days and can sign up independently.) | Eight slots available
March 19, 20 & 21 | Eight slots available
Time: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Coral Street in downtown Lancaster
Contact: Julia Witmer Gallagher; juliawgallagher@gmail.com | 609 -937-2494
Click here to download the signup instructions.
Click here to register your spot on the Habitat for Humanity website.
Youth Requirements:
- Youth need to be 16 years old to be onsite.
- 16 and 17 year olds need to have an adult chaperone that will work alongside the youth onsite.
- Youth under 18 cannot go on ladders or use power tools .
- Youth 18 and above do not need an adult chaperone.
There is an online safety course that all volunteers can take when signing up for work. Safety equipment and tools will be provided by Habitat onsite.
All volunteers are welcome, regardless of experience. Work can range from demolition, yard work, and preparing the home for remodeling to finishing work such as caulking, painting, appliance installation and cleaning. If this is your first time volunteering with Habitat, you will need to take a short online safety course prior to signing up for your dates. There are 10 volunteer slots available for each day so good fun and community will abound. Please pack a lunch and bring plenty of water to stay hydrated on the job!
View the photos from the team's work last October on Coral Street! Click a photo to access the gallery.
Archived mission trips
Click the titles below to read more.
About the 2022 Mission Trip
The Saint James mission team has a new exciting opportunity to transform a home for Habitat For Humanity in our downtown Lancaster neighborhood! No experience is necessary and training is provided onsite.
Work can range from demolition, yard work, and preparing the home for remodeling to finishing work such as caulking, painting, appliance installation and cleaning. All volunteers are welcome—regardless of experience. If this is your first time volunteering with Habitat, you will need to take a short online safety course prior to signing up for your dates. There are 10 volunteer slots available for each day so good fun and community will abound. Please pack a lunch and bring plenty of water to stay hydrated on the job!
View the team and their work at 530 Howard Street in downtown Lancaster.
Click on any image below to play the slide show.
There is no gallery selected or the gallery was deleted.
About the 2020 Mission Trip
The 2020 mission trip was on February 16 - 22, 2020 in San Pablo Episcopal Mission, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Missioners stayed in the Catholic Retreat Center in Arecibo and food was provided by the wonderful parishioners at San Pablo and the Retreat Center
The missioners were from Saint James, St. Thomas, Lancaster; St. John's, Lancaster; St. Luke's, Mount Joy; Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania; Zion Lutheran, Manheim; and Community of Francis and Clare. Their goal was to work with the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico to determine projects and scope of work. Missioners paid their own airfare to and from Puerto Rico and other incidentals. Fundraising helped pay for supplies for job sites, lodging, food and transportation while there.
Learn more about our efforts to help our friends in Acerbo, Puerto Rico
2019 Mission Trip Summary
Click here to view photos of the 2019 trip.When: February 24-March 2, 2019
Where: Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Who: In all—19 people from the following organizations: Saint James, St. John’s-Lancaster, St. Thomas-Lancaster, Zion Lutheran-Manheim and the Community of Francis and Clare.
Work: The Mission Trip Team worked on three homes. Two homes were in Arecibo and one home near San Pedro, about 20 minutes south of Arecibo. All three homes needed varying levels of roof repairs as a result of damage sustained from Hurricane Maria in 2017. There was also some interior painting, removal of debris and cleaning tasks involved. Two of the homes had partial electrical service while the home near San Pedro had no electrical service which required the use of a generator to run power tools. Many of the supplies used were provided by Episcopal Relief and Development and Diocese of Puerto Rico.
The fourth project was the rebuilding of the gazebo next to San Pablo Church, partially destroyed by Hurricane Maria. All funds used to repair the gazebo were provided by funds raised to support the Mission Trip. The gazebo is used for parish events and Sunday school classes and was a huge boost to the morale of the parish to see it being repaired.
Each day started at the Retreat Center with a time of meditation and breakfast with Morning Prayer and discussion following. The day continued with the work assignments until noon, when lunch was served at San Pablo’s. After lunch, the missioners returned to work until dinner where everyone returned to San Pablo’s. After dinner, the missioners had Evening Prayer and reflection on the day that just passed, then back to the Retreat Center for showers and rest. On Wednesday morning, the people at San Pablo’s hosted a moving Eucharist service for the missioners. During the last full day of the Mission Trip, missioners were given a cultural tour of parts of Puerto Rico and Br. David Rutledge participated in a panel discussion for the Board Members of Episcopal Relief and Development.
The Mission Trip was funded entirely by the generous donations and support from the Lancaster community including two fundraising events. Missioners were responsible for paying their own transportation costs to and from Puerto Rico and some meals. All other expenses including transportation while on Puerto Rico, food (most meals provided by the parishioners of Arecibo’s San Pablo Episcopal Church), lodging (at the Arecibo Catholic Retreat Center) and supplies for the reconstruction of the gazebo were paid for by funds raised for the Mission Trip.
The Mission Trip was very moving and transformative as the missioners got to experience the culture and deepen relationships with the good people of San Pablo’s parish as well as the Diocese of Puerto Rico.
2018 Mission Trip Summary
On August 12-18, 2018, twelve missioners from various churches and organizations in Lancaster and beyond, went to Puerto Rico on a common purpose; to assist with clean up and repairs following the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Missioners included members of Saint James in Lancaster, Saint John's in Lancaster, Zion Lutheran in Manheim, Lancaster County Council of Churches, Order of Saint Francis (St Louis, Missouri & New Orleans) and Society of Saint Francis in San Francisco. Two Brothers from OSF arrived 2 days early to help make arrangements with the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico and the people and clergy at Misión San Pablo Apostol in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where the group was to be based. The rest of the group arrived in San Juan on Sunday, August 12 to prepare for the drive to Arecibo approximately 55 miles west of San Juan.The good people at San Pablo's provided lunch and dinner for the group each day, and on Wednesday, the Feast Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we had a special Eucharist and time of sharing. Each day began with Morning Prayer and ended with Evening Prayer led by the Brothers of SSF. The job site, about a 10 minute drive, was the home of an elderly couple recommended by the clergy at San Pablo's.
The work included removing debris from the roof and sealing it, cleaning the property of debris, assisting in the installation of electric service, purchasing and installing a new gas stove, cleaning and painting several rooms in the house, repairing the sink, toilet and shower in the bathroom and installing a cinder block barrier on the second floor porch.
The missioners had two persons who interpreted Spanish to English at the church and the job site. By the end of the week, everyone was exhausted from the hard, physical work, but also excited to have had a chance to share in the lives of two elderly people by getting to know them and making their living conditions a little better. The group also developed new relationships with the diocesan staff and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico. Many thanks for the prayers offered for the Mission Trip and for the financial support given. Each member of the Mission Trip team was responsible for paying their airfare. The funds raised by the Fiesta dinner in May and other donations were used for transportation during the week, lodging and supplies and materials.
Transform Jersey Shore Area
For the past three years, volunteers from Saint James have traveled northwest to the borough of Jersey Shore, in Lycoming County. Once an industrial boom-town, the area has endured economic difficulties made worse by massive industrial accidents and flooding from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Transform Jersey Shore Area (TJSA) is a hometown mission trip created by Trinity Episcopal Church in Jersey Shore, PA. This outreach program is bolstered by an ecumenical body of believers from area churches and organizations whose goal is to show and share the love of Christ—one community, one neighborhood, one life at a time. By forming community partnerships and relationships with their neighbors, they are working together to repair and renew homes and transform their town.
