RESTORATION PROJECT CHANGES MORE THAN LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS
By: Joyce Robertson, Staff Writer

When I left last Saturday to "Be the Church" by taking part in Project Restoration, I hoped to make a difference in a neighborhood that needed helping hands. I was one of five hundred men, women and children from 14 different churches who showed up to work for four hours - stepping out of our comfort zones and into theirs. As we were divided into groups and assigned specific blocks, I wondered what opportunities would await as I wielded my little weeder.

Although many families who remained kept up their homes, they lived beside abandoned houses that were left unkept and taken over by gangs. As they watched us work, they expressed their appreciation to us for helping them spruce up their neighborhood. Some asked us why we would do something like this, giving us the opportunity to share about our church. As we complimented them on their yards, they simply beamed.

Several people driving by stopped to look at the piles of weeds in the streets and dumpsters full of debris waiting to be emptied. Street after street bore evidence of the massive effort. That made a statement.

But what blessed me personally was working beside others in our church family. Some worked with power mowers, edgers and blowers. Others trimmed bushed and pulled weeds. Each person was a part of the team. Even the young children helped. Most people in our group did not know each other at the beginning of the morning. Working together changed that. When we saw each other on Sunday morning, we stopped to talk. Our big church just got smaller!

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