World Changers bring Bible, other tools to fix up Augusta

Sharing your faith with all the right words and verses can be hard, especially at 15, said Tiffany Rowlett.

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Annette M. Drowlette/Staff

Tiffany Rowlett, 15, of Okeechobee, Fla., scrapes a window frame on a house on Forsythe Street.

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Annette M. Drowlette/Staff

World Changer Emily Pickering, 16, throws away shingles at the site where the group worked Monday. They will be working on 23 houses this week in the Laney-Walker Historic District.

"But showing your faith? That's something I can do," said the Okeechobee, Fla., native. "I can hammer, I can paint."

This week, she is, along with nearly 300 other Southern Baptists. They're volunteers with World Changers, a short-term mission trip that offers free home repairs for low- and moderate-income families across the country.

By Friday, crews from across the Southeast will have fixed 23 homes in the Laney-Walker Historic District, five more than last year.

Three months ago, organizers considered canceling the project when they couldn't find space to house the participants.

"Crawford Avenue Baptist Church stepped up, and for that we're grateful," said the Rev. Robert Austin, a minister at Bethesda Baptist Church in Harlem. He has organized local World Changers projects for six years.

Crews arrived Monday with Bibles and hammers in hand for the first of five workdays.

Teens who had traveled from Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi and Georgia met for an opening ceremony at the Augusta-Richmond County Housing & Community Development Department.

"It's amazing to me every year when you all get to town and the work you do," Mayor Deke Copenhaver said through a megaphone from a truck bed. "You all are an inspiration to me."

Crews unloaded pressure washers, rakes, ladders, shovels and caulk guns before heading to job sites.

Though they are focused on home improvements, the teens also will spend time praying, studying the Bible and introducing others to their faith.

"It's a lot of work being here, but we get to share Christ with people, even if they're just walking up the street," said Kyle Scott, an 18-year-old from First Baptist Church of Butler, Ala.

Last year, crews presented the Gospel nearly 100 times, distributed tracts and claimed seven professions of faith, according to World Changers records.

"People ask a lot why we're here," said Tiffany, a member of the youth group at First Baptist Church of Okeechobee. "It's because we want to love them."

Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.