On Friday March 30, we had the first work day at Hope House. It was an amazing and productive event. We had some 20 people from the Huntington Housing Authority's YouthBuild and adult construction training programs on hand to begin the 'demo' phase. We began the day with a moment of silence for the fallen teens, then unfurled a banner that reads; "Hope House: Turning Tragedy into Triumph". The banner is red with white lettering: red for the spilled blood, and white for Hope.
Our first project was to dig up the dead roots of bushes in the front of the house - symbolic of tearing our the roots of the problems that led to the kids being shot. Then, it was time to put the crew to work ripping out appliances in the kitchens and fixtures in the bathrooms, taking up old carpeting and flooring and filling up the dumpster the city had provided for the weekend.
Tom Proctor measured for news doors and windows, while Cindy and Lisa measured the rooms for a scale drawing of the house. Two of the coordinators from the YouthBuild program, Josh and Mark were very helpful in providing expert building advice. Josh, who just completed a degree in architecture crawled under the house to inspect the flooring, while Mark K. took a look at the electrical system, advising that he and Josh would both be happy to help rewire the house if we can get a certified electrician to take on the project.
Meanwhile, Andy and Tom, fielded questions from the News media. Channels 8, and 13 brought their camera crews, and the crew from PBS 33 was shooting almost all day, with a two hour break for lunch. The PBS crew came to church this morning and shot the entire service! Their extended story will appear as part of the News Magazine, "Outlook". (btw: Congrats to Fr. Mark Goldman, who celebrated his first Eucharist today!) The Herald Dispatch also sent out a reporter and a photographer and gave us a nice article in the Saturday paper.
Spiritual Impact
Many people recognize the need to reach the young people with the message of the Gospel. But as Matthew Watts points out, "Where the kids are, the church isn't, and where the church is, the kids aren't". In other words, to reach unchurched teens with the message of the Gospel, you have to go where they are! We certainly had a group of unchurched street kids in our house on Friday. And when it came time to pray at our regular time, 3:30, Mark took the lead to call everyone together and announce that anyone who felt comfortable could join us for prayer. All but 2 or 3 stayed and participated or observed as we prayed through our Hope House Liturgy (see attached). Kids that likely never darken the door of a church attended a prayer meeting in a place intimately known to them as a place of terror and death. When the news media asked them how they felt, they were able to reply that the house now feels like a welcoming place full of hope and new beginnings.
Blessing the Neighbors
We had so many people on hand, that we were able to devote a small crew to mowing lawns on either side of Hope house, blessing the neighborhood in addition to the property itself. Mike, the neighbor to the East was particularly thankful that we hauled away a large pile of old landscaping materials, and expressed his excitement about the good that was coming about.
All in all, it was a remarkable day - the first, we hope of many more. Youth Build will be coming in at various times to do smaller projects as they have time. We received a nice donation from West Virginia football player, Randy Moss, and will be able to buy some doors and other materials to get us started on our renovations. I am applying for a grant through a local foundation and hope that we might receive some more funds for materials. We are also waiting to hear about a corporate donation from 84 lumber.
The Lord is opening up many doors for witness and creating community. Please pray for this project, and pray for me, a sinner.
Our first project was to dig up the dead roots of bushes in the front of the house - symbolic of tearing our the roots of the problems that led to the kids being shot. Then, it was time to put the crew to work ripping out appliances in the kitchens and fixtures in the bathrooms, taking up old carpeting and flooring and filling up the dumpster the city had provided for the weekend.
Tom Proctor measured for news doors and windows, while Cindy and Lisa measured the rooms for a scale drawing of the house. Two of the coordinators from the YouthBuild program, Josh and Mark were very helpful in providing expert building advice. Josh, who just completed a degree in architecture crawled under the house to inspect the flooring, while Mark K. took a look at the electrical system, advising that he and Josh would both be happy to help rewire the house if we can get a certified electrician to take on the project.
Meanwhile, Andy and Tom, fielded questions from the News media. Channels 8, and 13 brought their camera crews, and the crew from PBS 33 was shooting almost all day, with a two hour break for lunch. The PBS crew came to church this morning and shot the entire service! Their extended story will appear as part of the News Magazine, "Outlook". (btw: Congrats to Fr. Mark Goldman, who celebrated his first Eucharist today!) The Herald Dispatch also sent out a reporter and a photographer and gave us a nice article in the Saturday paper.
Spiritual Impact
Many people recognize the need to reach the young people with the message of the Gospel. But as Matthew Watts points out, "Where the kids are, the church isn't, and where the church is, the kids aren't". In other words, to reach unchurched teens with the message of the Gospel, you have to go where they are! We certainly had a group of unchurched street kids in our house on Friday. And when it came time to pray at our regular time, 3:30, Mark took the lead to call everyone together and announce that anyone who felt comfortable could join us for prayer. All but 2 or 3 stayed and participated or observed as we prayed through our Hope House Liturgy (see attached). Kids that likely never darken the door of a church attended a prayer meeting in a place intimately known to them as a place of terror and death. When the news media asked them how they felt, they were able to reply that the house now feels like a welcoming place full of hope and new beginnings.
Blessing the Neighbors
We had so many people on hand, that we were able to devote a small crew to mowing lawns on either side of Hope house, blessing the neighborhood in addition to the property itself. Mike, the neighbor to the East was particularly thankful that we hauled away a large pile of old landscaping materials, and expressed his excitement about the good that was coming about.
All in all, it was a remarkable day - the first, we hope of many more. Youth Build will be coming in at various times to do smaller projects as they have time. We received a nice donation from West Virginia football player, Randy Moss, and will be able to buy some doors and other materials to get us started on our renovations. I am applying for a grant through a local foundation and hope that we might receive some more funds for materials. We are also waiting to hear about a corporate donation from 84 lumber.
The Lord is opening up many doors for witness and creating community. Please pray for this project, and pray for me, a sinner.
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