Christian work camp participants are much like the Good Samaritan; they have intentions to help needy people who others seemed to have passed by for one reason or another. Any of us would consider it a compliment to be called a "Good Samaritan." Let's briefly review that famous parable, but we will consider a different lesson from this story. We will focus our attention on the role of the innkeeper.

According to the account in the tenth chapter of Luke, Jesus told the story about a man who was beaten and left half dead by some robbers while he was traveling on the road to Jericho. Two religious leaders, one a priest and the other a Levite, passed by the injured man and ignored him. Then a foreigner from Samaria came by, tended to the man's wounds, and then took him to a local innkeeper. He left him with the innkeeper to provide comfort and care while the Samaritan went on with his journey.

The innkeeper served as an important link between the man found beside the road and the Samaritan who was kind enough to stop and care for him. While the Samaritan's deed was extremely important, let's not overlook the fact that without the innkeeper, it would have been very difficult to give complete care to the injured man.

What, if anything, is unique about the innkeeper? Perhaps the most important thing we should note about the innkeeper compared the Samaritan is that his position was permanent while the Samaritan was just passing through. The innkeeper was in a position to give care that the man left beside the road needed, while the Samaritan had no inn as a place for the injured man to stay. Let's consider another important factor concerning the man found beside the road; there was no "quick fix" for his condition. The innkeeper provided the extended care.

When workcamp participants come to West Virginia to be a part of the Servants At Work program at Psalm 23 Camp, we consider ourselves to be much like the innkeeper. We tend to be facilitators for the church groups who come our way. Individuals and church groups will come to Monroe County for a workcamp experience, be here for approximately one week completing some good deeds, and then some will never come this way again. While immediate help can be given to those who are in need, workcamp participants should understand that a complete "quick fix" is seldom a reality. However, Psalm 23 Camp will remain here, and the work to help other people will continue past the week when each group comes to serve, and the work will extend to other years.

Workcamp participants can consider themselves as an important part of a continuing program to help people in Appalachia. Each individual is an important part of a group. Each group is an important part of a number of groups each summer. The total work of all groups combined together year after year can be of tremendous benefit to helping people of Appalachia help themselves. Psalm 23 Camp can be viewed as the permanent "innkeeper" that helps give direction for the long-term benefits.

I give one example to further illustrate the value of a permanent organization. During the summer of 1995 S.A.W. workcamp participants did much to help flood victims in our part of the state. In the winter of 1996 West Virginia had two feet of snow on the ground when heavy rains came causing extensive damage to property along the Greenbrier River just twenty-five miles away. The floodwaters had not even gone down before calls came to Psalm 23 Camp requesting help. Those calls came because campers here the previous summer had given valuable assistance, and other community agencies know we are here and that we have a desire to help.

An important part of helping people here in West Virginia is the valuable assistance given to help development of Psalm 23 Camp facilities and grounds. Work completed at Psalm 23 Camp by visiting campers is an extremely valuable way to help us fulfill our role as an "innkeeper."

Dennis Rowan
1996