Three hundred and thirty high school students from across the nation paid money out of their own pockets to improve the living conditions of people in Chattanooga as part of World Changers’ annual effort to alleviate substandard housing.
Eighteen church groups from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, and Illinois are in Chattanooga this week working on assignments ranging from painting houses, to installing wheelchair ramps, to putting siding on homes.
Students paid $250 for registration as well as all of their travel expenses to take part in the program. “God has called us to be servants,” said Elisabeth Staggs, a rising ninth grader from Eastern Kentucky who spent Tuesday scraping old paint off the side of an aging St. Elmo house. “I wanted to be here because this is where God wants me to be.”
Following a six-session “how-to” study, 29 work crews hit 26 job sites throughout Chattanooga. Major work began Tuesday. The students are lodging at Brainerd Baptist Church.
This summer, more than 12,000 “World Changers” will be working in more than 60 cities across the U.S. Since the program’s inception in 1990, more than 300,000 students have participated.
“Our partnerships are the key to the past 24 years. Relationships with cities and churches have provided an avenue for students to make a difference in communities across North America,” said John Bailey, team leader for World Changers.
World Changers is a ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources. This is the organization’s 11th year in Chattanooga.
The initiative is done in partnership with the Hamilton County Baptist Association and other local businesses. Funding for supplies comes from the City of Chattanooga and the local Baptist Association’s Department of Economics and Community Development.