Bringing Beauty to Our City
Celebrating another work day at Urban Hope with four houses benefiting from an exterior freshen up as fall begins. God was gracious and the rain held off until lunch time, allowing the groups to complete their jobs.
Group 1
This group of volunteers completed not one, but two houses. Starting out at a quad unit right off Mosby that Redeemer members planted at last year. They re-mulched, trimmed, and planted. Then moving to house 2, they used their muscles to clear out the backyard of unused material, really freshening up the space. It was especially fun to see youth fellowship leaders work alongside their student in the effort.
Group 2
Returning to another house that has had some landscaping work in the past done by Redeemer, our largest group worked alongside Urban Hope volunteers to build a fence and an especially well-crafted gate. This work will bless two family units living in the duplex, one just recently moved in, giving them privacy and a space to gather and play. Urban Hope shared that since our work on this home the residents have spent more time outside and when asked about it one lady responded “well I have to come out here and enjoy the flowers, since it looks so nice now.” It’s a gift to offer our labor to enhance the experience of our neighbors.
Group 3
The outcome of this group’s work was two massive piles of debris after trimming back multiple bushes, a large tree, and some nasty vines. The work brought more light into the front porch and freed up the backyard to more easily be mowed and used. The current resident was grateful for the jump start we gave her in keeping up with the property. It was sweet time spent getting to know other members of our church. You’d often overhear “what service do you go to?” That first question lead to many more, ending with “see you Sunday.”
I am overwhelmed with the generosity Redeemer parishioners show in giving up their Saturday morning to do yard work at someone else’s house. What a testament to God’s good work in shaping our hearts to be other’s centered, as well as our longing to do good work. After Saturday, these houses shine brighter in this neighborhood. Urban Hope has shared that over the course of the past two years that we’ve been doing these biannual work days they’ve noticed other nearby houses cleaning up their flower beds and cutting the lawn. How cool to see that kind of effect begin with houses owned by a faith-based organization. What a blessing to use our time and effort to bring beauty to the front yard of someone’s home and support Urban Hope’s desire to be a light on a hill.
Isabelle Huggard
Justice & Mercy Liaison — Urban Hope