For the 32nd year, Crawford St. United Methodist Church (CSUMC) will host Service Over Self (SOS), a program in which youth and adults from all over the state of Mississippi and beyond will help repair and improve homes for those in need.

CSUMC Youth Leader Lee Ann Whitley and Robert Moss typically head the organization of SOS but quickly admit they couldn’t do it without the help of the church and community. Daniel Renfroe and Mark Jefferson are also part of the leadership team supervising SOS.

“We are anticipating ten worksites this year,” Whitley said. The jobs range from small to large, with groups moving from one site to another as jobs are finished.

Projects are chosen carefully by a committee.

“In the spring, we have people who go out and survey the homes,” Whitley said, of how homes are chosen for the outreach. She added that the jobs must also fit the scope of the capabilities of the teens and adult volunteers. Many of the recipients are elderly.

“Things like handicapped ramps,” Whitley said, as an example of a typical project. In the past, the SOS group has also replaced flooring and roofing and completed basic plumbing and electrical projects.

The group has also done some major projects, like jacking up uneven houses.

“We’ve got some youth coming from Starkville,” Whitley said. “We’ve got a church in Hattiesburg coming this year. Grandchildren who live out of town from different places come every year.”

A typical day keeps the kids going from 7 a.m. to around 10 p.m.

“We get the kids up around 7, 7:30,” Whitley said. “We have breakfast. All the meals are furnished and eaten here. After breakfast, we have chores, whether it’s clean up the kitchen, clean up the dining hall or areas where we’re sleeping, each team has a chore to do before we leave in the morning.

“They have to get their supplies, their drink coolers, everything to take with them on the job site and leave around 8:30,” she continued. “They come back to the church around noon and eat lunch, go back to the job site at 1 and return to the church at 4:30.”

The kids get cleaned up and eat supper at six.

“After supper clean-up, we have a nighttime activity each night,” Whitley said.

This year’s evening activities are:

• Monday: Extra Table Meal Packing Event
• Tuesday: scavenger hunt
• Wednesday: hamburgers and hot dogs at Hawkins United Methodist followed by swimming at the YMCA
• Thursday: family meal with homeowners and closing service

Additionally, the kids participate in evening worship and fellowship each night.

“After we get back in from whatever evening activity we’re doing, we have a worship service in the sanctuary where we talk about our day, have a devotion and this year, we’ll have a praise band that some of the youth and adults from Elevate Church have put together. It’s a time of sharing and quiet time, devotional time before they go to bed,” Whitley said.

For a group of 70-80 youth, the housing, feeding and caring for them can be huge. Whitley said the youth who have come from outside Vicksburg stay at the church where they can sleep and shower. Local youth often prefer to return home in the evening to shower and rest.

Since the beginning of the SOS program, Kay Boolos has been in charge of meals.

“It’s planning meals around teenager’s likes and dislikes,” she said. “This year, I’ve got three with a nut allergy, two who are gluten-free and one with a shrimp allergy. Those things have to be planned.”

Boolos is helped with each meal by a team of volunteers. Linda Turner heads the lunch shift, having a moment of prayer and devotion with volunteers before the kids come in to eat.

“It’s not just the planning, it’s the sitting down and going through coupons and ads, making the most of God’s money,” Boolos said, of preparing meals for the kids and adults who attend SOS.

“You can’t do God’s work on an empty stomach,” she added.

Boolos shared a story that at the first SOS, she fed the children for $0.75 per meal. Although groceries were cheaper 32 years ago, it was still quite a feat.

“They did have to eat baloney sandwiches, which they weren’t real thrilled with,” she laughed. But Boolos, who is a master at repurposing leftover food, said, “One morning, I took that baloney, stuffed it down into muffin tins, cooked it crispy and put scrambled eggs in it and they thought they had something!”

“The kitchen is where the fun is,” Boolos said. “It’s a lot more than just cooking or feeding. It’s making friends. It’s serving the Lord. It’s serving those children, your church family, it’s all rolled up into one big summer experience the children will take and remember for the rest of their lives.”

Whitley said the most important thing she wants people to know is that SOS is a community mission.

“We want people from all throughout the community involved with this. Youth and adults. It goes beyond CSUMC,” she said.

There are many ways to volunteer at SOS for adults, too.

“I’ll be glad to get them plugged in to wherever they want to serve,” Whitley said. There are opportunities to volunteer in the kitchen with meals, on job sites or in other areas.

For youth interested in participating in SOS, registration is open through Sunday. Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the mission, please call CSUMC at 601-636-5612.