At a house on Howard Street, a crew of teenagers was painting and replacing the screen on the building’s front porch.

On Dabney Street, another crew was replacing rotten boards, cleaning soffit and fascia boards and rebuilding a back porch, while on Ken Karyl Avenue general construction was underway to repair several problems.

The work is part of Service Over Self, a weeklong, faith-based community service program that is in its 23rd year of helping Vicksburg residents who are unable to help themselves.

Bob Moss, one of the program coordinators, said it has its roots in a trip to Memphis, Tenn., by several men from Crawford Street United Methodist to help with a church program there of the same name.

“They went there for a couple of years, and decided this was something we need to do here,” he said.

For 23 years, Service Over Self has attracted adults and teens from eighth grade through college from area churches and church groups from out-of-town, like youngsters from Main Street United Methodist Church in Bay St. Louis.

He said the work performed by the volunteers assisted by AmeriCorps volunteers can range from washing dishes and cleaning homes, to repairing roofs and replacing windows and boards.

“We try to keep the air from coming in and stop the water from leaking,” he said. “Anything to make the homeowner’s life better. We don’t just work on low income homes; we’ll help anyone who needs assistance to make their lives better. If we have to do any plumbing or electrical work, we get licensed contractors to do that.”

The visiting volunteers stay at Crawford Street, where they eat their meals and sleep. Moss said the church charges a small fee, which is used to purchase food for the guests, and the visitors receive a T-shirt. Moss estimated about 80 teenagers are volunteering their time this year.

“We have a lot of kids come back every year,” Moss said. “Some of the volunteers graduate from college and come back to help out. Once you do this, it’s hard to do it just one time and walk away.”

Vicksburg native Dawn Douglas Flowers, Main Street’s pastor, is among those returning volunteers.

“I went to Hawkins (United) Methodist Church and volunteered as a teenager,” she said. “This year, I thought it would be good to bring up some of our youth group to help. Volunteers from here came to Bay St. Louis after (Hurricane) Katrina to help us, so we’re returning the favor.”

Flowers’ group was doing maintenance work in and outside the home of Willette Howard on Howard Street, including replacing the screen on her front porch and painting it. “We’ll also do some other aesthetic things, like replace a window that’s broken,” Flowers said.

“This is a blessing, truly a blessing,” Howard said. “This is the first time they’ve been to my house. When I heard them come early in the morning, I thought it was the Publishers Clearing House.”

Andrew Jackson and Joseph Jabour, both of Vicksburg, said the work was hard, but fun.

“It keeps you busy,” Joseph said.

“You get home, you go straight to sleep,” Andrew added.

On Main Street, another group of teens supervised by Flowers’ husband, Shawn, were replacing a sagging ceiling and repairing and replacing bad boards in the house. Outside, workers were painting areas of the house.

“We’re just being the hands and feet of God in the community,” he said.

“It felt like God sent angels at a very needed time,” homeowner Lillian Lee said.

Blakeleigh Lumpkin of Bay St. Louis said her experience “opened my eyes to a lot. I enjoyed helping someone like Mrs. Lee. She is always giving instead of receiving.”

“It has helped me a lot to be able to help people and to be able to do something to make people happy,” Ryan Jarratt of Vicksburg added.

Thomas Callen, youth director at First Presbyterian, said the volunteers working at Ken Karyl Avenue removed debris from under the house and were replacing rotted boards.

“Last year, I didn’t know what I was getting into,” he said. “But I left with a feeling that this was something we needed to get into and get into hard. I tell the kids, ‘You don’t have to go overseas to help people. There are plenty of people who need help right here.

“We all come from different churches — Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and Pentecostal,” he said, “we all worship God differently, but we all serve the same God.”