NORWICH – Thanks to volunteerism and a touch of southern hospitality, congregation members of Agape Baptist Church in Norwich are taking on some of the much-needed alterations inside and outside of their church.

Last week, a group of 17 volunteers by name of “The Men of Issachar” made their way from Jersey Village Baptist Church in Austin, Texas to rural Chenango County to lend a helping hand in Agape’s latest building projects. Before heading back home Friday, volunteers hope to complete a series of interior and exterior renovations that includes repairing or replacing damaged plaster ceilings throughout the church building, minor electrical work, and the construction of a handicapped accessible ramp outside the building’s front entrance.

In March, the group visited several sites prior to choosing Agape for their next service project. According to volunteer George Moore, volunteering has not only been a way for church organizations to help each other out, but also a way of seeing new faces and expand on a network of support.