In the summer of 1993, six men from the St. Luke traveled to Manderson, SD, a small town in the heart of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, to spend a week repairing homes.  This trip was the product of the relationship that had been formed over a number of years between Emma “Pinky” Clifford and the leaders of the American Indian Focus Group at the St. Luke.  Ms Clifford, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was the owner of a convenience store in Manderson who worked as a volunteer provider of social services to the residents of the Manderson area.  She gathered and distributed clothing, school supplies, and equipment and raised money to provide emergency loans and gifts to people in need.  St. Luke provided some of the resources for these efforts as a part of its ministry with the American Indian community.

This first trip was very rewarding for the men from St. Luke, who have come to be known as the “Carpenters” by the folks around Manderson.  They were able to repair the roof s on two houses and do a few other minor home repairs.  Their evenings were spent meeting and visiting with leaders and ordinary citizens who live and work on the Reservation.

The St. Luke Carpenters have continued to make annual trips to Pine Ridge.  So far, they have made 16 trips.  The format of the trips has remained the same – a week of working on home repair projects identified by Ms Clifford with materials provided by St. Luke.  Evenings are spent with Pine Ridge people who share their experiences on the Reservation.  These gatherings usually include a meal with the Pine Ridge folks. 

The size of the group has varied from 6 to 10 and many kinds of home improvement projects having been completed over the years.  These projects include re-roofing, replacing windows and doors, building vestibules and stoops, repairing leaks in plumbing systems, building decks, building handicapped-accessible ramps, rebuilding foundations.  This past year, the main project was the construction of a chicken coop for an enterprising young man who is trying to augment his family’s income by selling eggs.  The coop will house 80 hens.

Through this on-going relationship, it has been possible to provide some home improvements to Reservation residents whose needs do not fit into any Tribal programs.  And, it has created a vehicle for creating greater understanding between St. Luke members and the Pine Ridge residents.

The dates for the fall 2010 trip to Pine Ridge have not been set.  Please watch the Challenge and the bulletins for updates. The group will be fixing up some houses and may be working on several new building projects.  Participants can come for all or part of the trip.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Lyle Myer or Bob Thomas.