When you live in an older house, there tend to be a lot of things that go wrong. When that house is a large mansion built in the late 1800s, this is especially true.

Once a maintenance project has begun, things tend to be more complicated and time-consuming than originally planned. A group of volunteers recently rediscovered this reality at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Maintaining a building the age and size of Rutherford Hall, the seminary’s main building, requires the loving care of skilled and gifted workers and volunteers. Added to that are several older homes that serve as student housing, creating an impressive and intimidating list of projects.

Keith Wing, member of the RPTS Board of Trustees, envisioned a weeklong work conference bringing people of different skill sets from around the denomination to work on specific projects. Structured like a blend of the Theological Foundations for Youth (TFY) program and a church workday, the REmaker Work-Conference was an excellent way to remake the physical buildings and remake the participants, spiritually.

In October 2014, an organizing group began to explore what a work conference might look like. Ultimately, the group decided to balance work, devotions, and fellowship. Participants enjoyed a Pirates baseball game, and some of the out-of-town guests got to try famous Pittsburgh cuisine such as pierogies and Primanti sandwiches. On the Lord’s Day, Covenant Fellowship RPC in Wilkinsburg hosted some participants for worship and a delightful meal. On Monday, divided into several teams led by Keith Wing, Paul Martin, and Mark Sampson, the work began in earnest.

Meal time was another excellent opportunity to be “REmade.” Conference participants were fed a rich evening meal prepared by faculty members, staff members, and students. Cuisine varied from Italian, Mexican, BBQ—and perhaps the favorite of the week—Chinese, specially made by a two of the seminary’s Chinese families.

Three evenings during the week, Professors Jack Kinneer, C. J. Williams, and Barry York taught on aspects of work found in the book of Nehemiah. Dr. Williams focused on the people working on the wall. Dr. Kinneer spent time on Sabbath applications in Nehemiah. Finally, Professor York guided the group through the various applications of prayer found in the book. These were thought-provoking sessions were extremely applicable to daily living.

The volunteers tackled more than 50 projects during the week. One of the larger projects as the demolition and “REmaking” of a flight of concrete entry stairs. Dan Cutter of Second RPC in Indianapolis, Ind., did a masterful job of pouring concrete.

Another large project was the roof above the main entrance. Water had caused significant structural damage over the years. Chris Zarganis, owner of a local specialty woodworking shop and a neighbor of the seminary, partnered with neighbor James Welsh to build a more structurally sound, durable, and beautiful entryway covering.

Three Canadian RPs, Tim (a current student at RPTS) and Lynette Bloedow and Josh Zuiderveen, journeyed from Ottawa, Ont., to invest a hard week’s labor. Josh, who is familiar with small motors, tuned and repaired the mowers and blowers that the seminary heavily depends on. Lynette worked particularly hard in several challenging cleaning tasks, and Tim refinished a kitchen floor.

Titus Martin and Josh Nye soared high into the air in a lift bucket to explore decaying wood at the gable ends of the building. The large square nails that anchored the original woodwork of the gables made the work more challenging. The gables are in need of extensive repairs, which these brave workers were unable to complete, but their efforts helped to map out a plan for future work.

Keith Wing strapped himself into the lift bucket and climbed 40 feet into the sky, chainsaw at the ready. An aged European Beech had finally seen its last days. Keith worked his way up the tree, trimming branches that sometimes were 18 inches in diameter. He ended up with many truckloads of wood on the ground.

Roy Grau, a 2014 graduate of the seminary, took on a particularly challenging door project, designing and installing the door from scratch. Geoff Crowe, a seminary vendor, even pitched in with RPTS’ information technology director, Clark Stockdale, to design and build a protective covering for an exterior door.

Chris Dahar took on many plumbing, painting, and drywall tasks, specifically working in the computer lab, where the air conditioning quit functioning on a very hot day. His wife, Krista, along with Sharon Sampson, undertook the organization of the laundry room. Krista cleaned an apartment for an incoming student from East Asia. Andrew and Josh LaMay were available several days during the week, providing us with some young muscle and refining their concrete-finishing skills.

Many others contributed their time and talents to various projects. A tired, yet “REmade” group reflected upon the great mercies of our Lord, enjoying physical toil and the wonderful fellowship of believers.

Lord willing, there will be another REmaker Work-Conference from June 13 to 19, 2016.

Author Mark Sampson is development at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. A seminary feature appears semiannually in the RP Witness.