One church is housing and feeding a group of men and women during the months of May and June. No, this isn’t a homeless ministry, although the people who sleep in the fellowship hall have gotten used to not having a roof over their heads.
If you look at the church calendar for Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, you will see “Hiker Hostel” listed every day at 5 p.m. for 6 weeks.
The Hikers from the Appalachian Trail are welcomed into Grace Lutheran, which is just a few miles from the trail, for a home away from home while they are making the 2,000 mile trek.
Every Thursday night members of the church like Carolyn Barrett get there long before the hikers begin to arrive to ensure that the guests are welcomed with a hot meal.
When the hikers come trudging in at 5:00, they set off their heavy backpacks and find a spot to relax after a day of walking for up to 20 miles. As more and more tired faces appear through the doorway of the church, a community is formed because of their shared experiences and when dinner is served, it’s like being part of a big family dinner. 
“Pastor Bob Humphrey told me that ‘at the intersection of your faith and your passion is where you can make a difference.’ I have a passion for the Appalachian Trail and I’m also Lutheran,” said Irma. After starting in 2005, this is the 10th year of the hiker hostel at Grace Lutheran and if you ask anyone, they will give full credit to Irma and Woody Graf.
Irma hiked the trail in sections and completed the route in 2003. After working with the hiker ministry in Waynesboro for several years, the Grafs moved to New Hampshire, but they still make their way back for a week or two to be caretakers at the hostel.
The ministry still continues in their absence because of the members of the church and some alumni of the trail who volunteer their time to sleep overnight with the hikers.
One of these overnight caretakers during the month of May was Bette Frazier who came from New Hampshire with her husband, Richard, and her grandson, Sam.
“So many people did so many wonderful things for me when I thru-hiked and I wanted to give back,” Bette said.
She checks the hikers in at 5 p.m. then makes sure they leave by 9 a.m. after encouraging everyone to pitch in a hand with the cleanup.
The hiker community has its own culture and traditions that come along with this temporary lifestyle including “trail names” which are like nicknames that hikers are either given or choose for themselves. 
GooRoo, Tackelbox, Tinkerbell, Sparky, Cargo Master and Hangover were just a few of the people who gathered for dinner at Grace Lutheran in May. (Hangover swore that his name was given to him because at 6 feet and 5 inches tall, his feet would always ‘hangover’ every cot or bed.)
“I think there are many different reasons that people hike the trail” said Bette.” For most of them, it’s the right time in their life to check out for 6 months, whether it’s after a graduation, after a divorce, after the military and another part of it is their shared love of nature.”
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“It’s helping me transition and it helps link me with other people who have served in the military and being with them has helped me quite a bit.”
Strait is part of a group of 11 hikers that began the Appalachian Trail hike together in March as part of the Warrior Hike “Walk Off the War” program.Several of his fellow veterans were with him at Grace Lutheran Church in May when the Fraziers were acting as the caregivers.
One of these hikers was Caitlin Murphy, who goes by Rorschach on the trail. Caitlin served in the Marine Corps for 6 years and after several years of being out of the military, she decided to go on the Warrior Hike.
“After trying to transition from my military experience, I had a lot of anger and I wasn’t handling it as gracefully as I would have liked,” she said.
Tinkerbell (leftt), Sam (middle), and Caitlin (right) share some laughs after dinner
“One of the most helpful things is being around the group of veterans. It’s inevitable to talk about our experiences.”
As Caitlin spoke, she was trying to contain a smile because the 9-year-old caretaker, Sam, was trying to share his excitement about his own hike that day.
“Most of the hikers, they are looking for answers and they are on a pilgrimage of sorts. Offering them a helping hand is a humanitarian and also a Christian thing to do,” said Irma.
There is a short vesper prayer service led by Pastor Paul Pingel on Thursdays, but it is more of an opportunity, rather than a requirement. Some hikers may go up to the chapel, while others may take advantage of a hot shower.
“Later on we get cards and letters from the hikers that thank us for the warmth of our ministry and the kindness of our people,” Irma said. “Perhaps later down the road, some of these people will find themselves in a faith community of their own.”
