Deb Sadowski sits alone in a church pew early in the morning, staring at the stained glass windows that evoke powerful childhood memories.

"I can remember those three windows so vividly -- all the images, the lamb at the bottom," she says, looking at the intricate colorful display illuminated from behind by the sun. It's been 25 years since she was last in the sanctuary of what was then Epiphany Episcopal Church on California Avenue in Avalon. The congregation has since dissolved.

In an hour, a work crew from Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon would arrive to paint and repair the building's interior. Although the sanctuary remains, this old stone church has a new name -- the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh's Avalon Ministry Center.

Ms. Sadowski and the Community Presbyterian work crew, which she supervised, were taking part Sunday in a national program called Faith in Action. Instead of going to church, participating congregations take a Sunday to fan out into their communities and work on a variety of service projects.

Later in the day, the group would paint and repair an upstairs area that now houses North Suburban Adult Services, an agency that serves senior citizens in the North Hills. Ms. Sadowski, 46, remembered it as the old Epiphany Episcopal fellowship hall.

"For me, I have a special attachment to this building. I can remember running up to my parents and being really excited. I was probably 6 years old. Those memories are as if it were yesterday."

That's why it was so important for Ms. Sadowski to help coordinate the efforts at her former church. This is where she saw her best friend get married. It's also where, at age 16, she attended a funeral for that friend's mother and her grandmother. "Just sitting here quietly this morning, the tingle on the back of my neck and the goose bumps -- I could almost see everything that happened."

Congregation members soon are working on both floors, and Ms. Sadowski shuttles between floors to make sure everyone has what is needed.

This is just one of many projects Community Presbyterian is doing this particular Sunday. It's the first time the congregation has tried something like this, and Ms. Sadowski got a firsthand look at why this type of effort is important.

"There's the obvious, which is to have us get out of our sanctuary and physically be someplace else. There's a big difference between participating in worship and actually being out with the people."

The second floor is filled with adults and children painting and cleaning. Tim Miller accidentally gets some white paint in his 10-year-old daughter Amanda's hair, but the two laugh it off. Mr. Miller is practically covered from head to toe with splotches of white as he uses a long-handled roller to paint the ceiling.

One of the goals of the program is to engage church members in a variety of different projects in the hope they continue to be involved. And that's already happening. By halfway though the day, many of the volunteers have asked if they could continue to help at the senior ministry center.

Down the road a few miles at Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon, Kate Colville has seen the same thing. Children, families and seniors work on a variety of projects. In a large room, people make blankets for pediatric patients, robes for women battling cancer and cards for those in the military, World Vision children and shut-ins.

Other groups clean up Avon Park or work at other churches to plant and clean up. Senior members of the church make World Vision AIDS caregiver kits and a host of other projects.

Mrs. Colville is co-chairwoman of the outreach committee and did much of the planning for Sunday's event. She is happy to see so many people interested in continuing with their work after the Faith in Action outing.

"I think a lot of people need a jump-start. There's a lot of people in the community who want to do something but they don't know how to get started," she said.

"I think it's important to be giving back to the community, to be serving others who are in need. Not just going to church, but being the church. Instead of going to church service, we are serving."

For more information about Faith in Action, visit www.fiavolunteers.org or call 877-324-8411.