Youth on a Mission: Who are the Whobodies?
If you live in Greensboro, chances are good that you've seen a kid somewhere around town wearing a t-shirt with "I'm not just anybody, I'm a Whobody!" emblazoned on it, and wondered what that meant.
Fact is, "Whobodies" is the name of the youth group at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church (that big church across from the Battleground Lowe's) here in Greensboro. The group was organized in 1975 by then Pastor Rev. Herb Penry, and named "Whobodies" after the book "Whobody There?" by Charles & Ann Morse.
In their 33 years of existence and Christian service, the Whobodies of Mt. Pisgah have raised money by pumpkin sales and other ventures to fund mission trips to places as far flung as Northern Ireland, England, Jamaica and Costa Rica as well as states from coast to coast here in the U.S., all in the interest of serving others and having a good time doing it!
On the trips, the group has sung and presented Christian based plays, worked on projects in construction and rehabilitation to homes, schools and churches, they've done landscaping to correct erosion, distributed food, taken part in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina's destruction in Biloxi, Mississippi, and on their latest trip to Baltimore, Maryland they replaced ceilings and did repairs on homes.
All these things were done free of charge for people less fortunate and in need of help. The colorful trademark "Whobodies T-shirts" they wear, with a different color and design for each trip, are given to each member who goes on the mission trip as a sort of Badge of Honor for volunteering their time and energy to the cause, and are worn with pride.
Whobodies are very much involved locally as well. In addition to visiting with and singing for folks at nursing and retirement homes in the area each week, they serve meals eight times a year at the Urban Ministries' Night Shelter, and look for ways to perform "Random Acts of Kindness" like mowing yards for the elderly or sick, or going to a fast-food restaurant and giving the manager $50 or so to help feed the next customers for as long as it lasts, caroling at Christmas, and the list goes on.
The Whobodies of Mt. Pisgah is a group of local young people ranging from 6th graders through high school seniors who take the "Golden Rule" seriously and are not just trying to make a difference in the world - they're doing it!
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: The "Whobodies" youth group at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church travel annually for mission projects.
THE DETAILS
Group: The Whobodies youth group at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church
Dates: July 20-26
Purpose: Mission trip organized through CHAI, a Jewish service organization. The group hung sheetrock on ceilings in three homes where senior adults resided, assisted during a museum dig and performed grounds work as well as other projects that they needed.
Traveling party: 31 youth, 10 adults
THE TRIP
The youth group at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, known as Whobodies, traveled to Baltimore this past July where they hung sheetrock on ceilings with the nonprofit Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc, a Jewish service organization.
When we went to Baltimore, we went to help people. However, we also bonded strongly with each other, from high school seniors, to 6th graders, it was a special time.
- Ryan Dovel
My experience in Baltimore was very good, from creating an irrigation system for a swamp, to being at the National Aquarium. I had a blast, and knew I had helped people while doing it.
- Cory Wagner
I loved going to Baltimore! Our group went into a swamp at the National Aquarium to create an irrigation system to clean it out. I loved the look on their faces when they saw what we had done. It put a smile on my face, too!
- Chance Webb
This summer, our youth group, the Whobodies, from Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church, went on a mission trip to Baltimore. Our purpose was to repair homes for people who could not afford to pay a contractor, and to do construction and repairs for a museum. I feel like we did a lot of good there, but what we received was just as important. Like the elderly gentleman whose ceiling we repaired: although he was obviously not rich in material things, his generosity in bringing us a veritable buffet everyday of refreshments was worth a fortune in good will and the way it made us feel. He said that he had been cheated once before by a contractor, and couldn't believe that we would come all the way from North Carolina to help someone that we didn't even know. My team members Sarah Helt, Natalie Dovel, Ann Bencini, Cyrus Huneycutt, along with our adult supervisors Tommy Ravenel and Jake Huskins, received blessings far greater than the help that we gave to this man.
- Amanda Durham
This summer our youth group (the Whobodies) drove to Baltimore from our hometown of Greensboro. For three days we worked to repair a sheetrock ceiling that had considerable water damage. The gentleman whose house we worked on had hired a contractor to fix it previously, but had been cheated out of his money. He said that our willingness to help him restored his faith in humanity, but we gained so much from him as well. From his magic tricks to wonderful snacks before work, he was incredibly generous to us, and I feel blessed to have been a part of it. Our whole team took so much away from this experience, and our only regret is that we couldn't do more!
- Sarah Helt
Baltimore was by far the best summer mission trip I went on as a Whobody. I got to do so many things I had never done before like replacing a ceiling, sanding, drilling, and painting a entire room in a week's time! My work group was AWESOME to be around an work with. As we worked on the ceiling project, my group talked about so many things and we got to know each other so much better by the end of the week. Likewise, I think the Whobodies as a group got closer not only to each other during the week, but more importantly towards God. Though alot of our youth and youth leaders went to physical and emotional pains, we all came together as a group and lifted the different people and their concerns up. God truly answered my prayers for the best summer of my life and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for me in the future.
- Megan Christy
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