WoodsWork Youth Mission Team Creates Homes In Richmond

After nearly a year of planning, the annual cavalcade of passenger vans filled with food, supplies, 100 youth and 40 adults from Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church departed Severna Park in late June and headed for Richmond, Virginia, where team members of the annual WoodsWork service project would support the local Habitat for Humanity.

“We reach out to many Habitat for Humanity locations, looking for the right fit for a group our size,” Matt Murphy, a student project chair, said. “Obviously we need to make sure that there will be work for everyone, and we need a location within a reasonable driving range.”

Last August, planning for 2026 began. Different committees and leads work on the many aspects of the project, such as construction leads, worship programing leads, work group formation and scheduling, tool training, meal preparation, and much more. The planning committees started working immediately to ensure the 38th WoodsWork mission trip was meticulously outlined down to the tiniest detail. The result was four homes raised from foundation to framing (three were two-story structures), along with interior, exterior and landscaping projects.

Prior to departure, youth participate in fundraising to help defray the cost of lodging, food, transportation and group activities. All are required to attend workshops where they learn how to work with hand and power tools, and they discuss social awareness aspects like working in groups and how to effectively and gently interact with Habitat for Humanity families.

A workday begins at 5:45am, with everyone on the worksite by 7:00am. Following dinner and a short unscheduled time, everyone gathers in small groups for worship and Bible study. The jam-packed day ends with lights out at 10:30pm.

“Yes, there is a lot we do in a day, but we never forget why we are doing it and who we are doing it for,” student co-chair Anna Willis said. “We also form great friendships with each other and praise God together.”

Murphy feels it’s important for young people to experience an opportunity like WoodsWork.

“We are very fortunate living here. We don’t really see people struggle … really struggle,” Murphy explained. “It’s important to hear these families’ stories. People are not homeless because they are not trying. We can’t ever make assumptions, nor forget how fortunate we are.”

To receive assistance from Habitat for Humanity, homeowners must provide the organization with a determined number of sweat equity hours, either on their own home or assisting another family. Murphy explained that the team members don’t always get to meet the homeowners they are serving, and WoodsWork intentionally doesn’t return to a location for at least four years, so they don’t always get to see their efforts come to fruition. Even so, he calls the entire experience “magical.”

“It is truly amazing when, by chance, I see a family share their celebrations on social media in a home I know we helped build,” Murphy said. “I cannot explain the incredible feeling of knowing that families are creating new memories in a home that we had the opportunity to help build.”

Murphy plans to get involved with Habitat for Humanity in Wisconsin, where he will attend college, this fall. He recommends people, especially young people, further their faith in tangible ways and reminds everyone that spreading kindness and sharing God’s love, even in the smallest of ways, have a far-reaching domino effect. Before he leaves for college, Murphy will spend his final weeks in Maryland by starting the planning process for WoodsWork 2027.

To learn more or to get involved in WoodsWork, contact Scott Wiley, chairman, at wilecoy2us@gmail.com. All youth, regardless of their faith denomination, are welcome to participate.