Upper Cumberland - Clean Water Project (UC-CWP)
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Upper Cumberland-Clean Water Project (UC-CWP), a mission of the First Presbyterian Church (USA), trains and equips team members to share the gift of clean, sustainable water with individual families in need. UC-CWP water treatment systems and related educational programs fill a critical niche in the Upper Cumberland Region of Appalachia. We have found many homes using contaminated water. Since its inception, UC-CWP has partnered with other mission teams to assist local families to install and operate clean-water systems in several areas of the Upper Cumberland. Our mission was expanded in 2011 to address water quality issues in Putnam County and surrounding counties of the UC Plateau.
The Upper Cumberland-Clean Water Project of the 1st Presbyterian Church began working in 2011 by visiting with people in areas not served with "city" water. Our first two installed systems were at homes in the Spring Creek Valley area in Jackson County. Since then, we have kept in touch with the two families on the phone and occasional personal visits to their homes to trouble- shoot any problems. More visits are planned to continue support of our current partners; to develop future partnership opportunities; to provide continued education on the benefits of healthy water, and to install more water purification systems.
Our church has also previously installed systems in Tazewell and in Wartburg,TN, in conjunction with the Living Waters for the World-Appalachian Network of the Synod of the Living Water.
Cookeville's 1st Presbyterian Church team is looking for new members from our congregation and others to join us in this ministry. We are looking for participants with any background. An initial step would be to contact the church office (931-526-4424) or e-mail our minister, Pat Handlson (phandlson@frontiernet.net). Opportunities are also available to support the teams who do installations with fund-raising. Any of the current team members would be delighted to discuss these opportunities in more detail.
The names of current members in this mission: Bill Swim, Chairman; Pat Handlson, pastor; Bruce Throckton, Treasurer; Bob See; Sam Glasgow; Diane Glasgow; Ron Ledbetter; Steve Chapman; Whit Whittaker; Jackson Perkins; Ginny Langpap; Wayne Langpap; Tammy O'Dell; Ed Milner, Jon Dugle, and Eliseo Ríos.