At St. James Episcopal Church in Mansfield, ministry doesn’t end at the church doors, or even in north-central Pennsylvania – it extends across continents. In the fall of 2024, members of St. James, along with their priest, the Rev. Janis Yskamp, responded to God’s call and joined with a local humanitarian to make a positive impact on the wellbeing of communities in Liberia and Uganda.
This journey began when members of St. James crossed paths with Tricia Walker, a fellow Pennsylvanian from Wellsboro, who has partnered with communities across sub-Saharan Africa for the last seven years. Tricia, driven by a deep sense of humanitarian calling, has worked with communities in Liberia, Ghana, and Uganda to help foster peace through economic empowerment. Communities in this region continue to recover from decades of civil war, famine, and disease, challenges which Tricia has worked to address both on her own and with local and international partners.
As Tricia shared stories from her humanitarian work during a visit to St. James, the congregation felt an immediate call. What began as a conversation quickly turned into action with an outpouring of financial, spiritual, and practical support. The church, both at the Vestry and individual levels, helped complete the funding necessary for the building of a vocational school in Nengbein, Liberia, which is now serving over 1,200 people from three surrounding villages. The school, first launched by local pastor Winston Guanu and his wife Ya, has grown beyond its initial plan as a school, and now also serves as a community hall, health clinic, and church. With classes in English, math, conservation agriculture, solar energy, carpentry, sewing, beekeeping, and more, students will graduate with marketable skills that synchronize with the needs of the local economy.
The sense of call felt by St. James parishioners continued beyond this initial project. After financially supporting the vocational school in Nengbein, a working group led by parish member Kathleen England was formed to create sanitary kits. Period poverty, or the lack of access to menstrual products, is a challenge facing women that affects their ability to attend school and work. The sanitary kits created at St. James are assembled by seamstresses in partner communities and distributed to local young women, positively impacting public health and supporting greater independence as they transition into adulthood.
Partnering with Tricia Walker and Outreach Uganda, the ministry of St. James has also grown to support a housing initiative in Uganda. This project will fund the construction of 40 new homes with gardens for widows and their children, who are currently living in a former refugee camp. The 40 families who move into these homes will become land and homeowners, providing a stable foundation for long-term financial security and opportunity.
This ministry from St. James, Mansfield, is an example of a church responding to God’s call and being the hands and feet of Christ in the world. Their ministry is a witness to the love of Christ made tangible, lifting others up, building peace, and changing lives one faithful step at a time. For more information or to get involved, contact Dr. Adam Mahonske.