Towel Ministry

What is Towel Ministry?

Towel Ministry is a distinguished ministry in the Diocese of Western North Carolina and a recognized Jubilee Site in The Episcopal Church. Towel Ministry provides housing improvements, repairs and maintenance for elderly, disabled, and marginalized people. Towel Ministry operates in week-long sessions. Typical work projects might include handicap access, roofing repair, painting, yard clean-up and other simple projects that can be managed by a small group. Towel Ministry is the embodiment of "walking the talk of the Church." It provides opportunities for young people to learn skills in building homes and relationships with each other, with families, and with Christ.

Summer 2025 Offerings

This summer we will be offering two sessions of Towel Ministry Mission Experience for high school youth (rising 8th graders to graduated 12th graders. We will be based at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher, NC.

Sessions:

Session One: June 17-22

Session Two: June 24-29

Cost: $400 per person

Which includes all meals, lodging, and fun activities.

Individual youth from the Diocese of WNC who do not have a youth leader (paid or volunteer) can attend without a chaperone.

The History of Towel Ministry

Towel Ministry began as the brainchild of the late Deacon Cris Greer and the late Rev. Gene McDowell in the 80s. It evolved as a response to the need in our community for housing improvements, repairs, and maintenance. The first camp operated out of a volunteer fire department with a total of sixteen participants. Since that time, Towel Ministry has grown and spread. From its modest beginnings in the very western tip of the state, the ministry has spread across the Diocese of Western North Carolina and beyond. The name "Towel Ministry" is representative of Jesus using a towel to dry his disciples' feet after washing them.

Our Mission

The Mission of Towel Ministry is about spreading the Gospel through action by being the hands and feet of God in the communities that we serve. There are three equally important missional components to the week:

Action

This relates to home improvement project at hand. The adults and the youth will either be actively working to complete a project or assisting with the management of the worksite.

Relationship

Building relationships with the homeowners is as equally as important as completing the project. Being open and available for conversation and connection with the homeowner is a missional pillar of Towel Ministry. Helping a new friend push back loneliness and isolation, even for a little while, may be the best Good News that person has heard in a long time; the home improvements are welcome, but in very they are a bonus to building new relationships.

Spreading the Good News of the Gospel

At Towel Ministry we spread the Good News of the Gospel through our actions and our words. This is shown through the work we do on the project and the relationship built between us and the homeowners. We are not there to just “fix” a house but to show that we love and care about the homeowner and the community we serve.