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Click on any face in this photo to pull up all the photos from the Group Workcamp thumb drive that the person is in.
A little about Reading:
As far back as the American Revolution, Reading's iron industry had a total production which exceeded that of England. Reading experienced continuous growth until the 1930s, when its population reached nearly 120,000. From the 1940s to the 1970s, however, the city saw a sharp downturn in prosperity, largely owing to the decline of the heavy industry and railroads, on which Reading had been built, and a general flight to the suburbs. Population of Reading has shrunk to about 80,000. In the 1990s, there was an influx of Hispanic residents from New York, and by the 2000 census, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.31% of the population.
In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused extensive flooding in the city. In June of 2006, a similar flood of the Schuylkill River inundated the lower precincts of Reading.
Our week together as a youth group:
Crews we worked on:
The city lent its name to the now-defunct Reading Railroad, which brought anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania Coal Region to cities along the Schuylkill River. The Reading Company, usually called the Reading Railroad (officially the "Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road" and then the "Philadelphia and Reading Railway") was incorporated in 1833 and operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states until 1924. Until the decline in anthracite loadings in the Coal Region after World War II it was one of the most prosperous corporations in the United States. Reduced coal traffic coupled with highway competition and short hauls forced it into bankruptcy in the 1970s. The railroad was merged into Conrail in 1976, but the corporation lasted into 2000, disposing of real estate holdings.
A chronicle (with pictures and videos) of our group's experiences travelling to and from the workcamp and our lives together during the week
is here.
If you were with the St. James' Youth Group and have pictures of your crew and worksite that you would like to see here, send them to me at 
and I will make a page for your crew. Be sure to tell me your crew number!
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Our week of worship: The Workcamp Stats:
The Wrapup:
Page updated: July 12, 2009
Day Daily Theme Scripture Monday Hope for the Poor Luke 6:20. "God blesses you who are poor, for the kingdom of heaven is yours." Tuesday Release for the Captives Genesis 34:29. "God blesses you who are poor, for the kingdom of heaven is yours." Wednesday Sight to the Blind 1 Samuel 16:7. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Thursday Freedom for the Oppressed Isaiah 58:6-7. "Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help." Friday The Day of the Lord's Favor Psalm 107:1-9. "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
from east and west,
from north and south.
Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things."
Here's a presentation we made to our church congregation during the services on July 12, 2009 to show them what we did and to express our thanks for helping us make this trip. (This is a PowerPoint presentation, about 14 MB.)