So here it is! The full and complete answer to the question
I’ve gotten so many times, “What will you be doing?”
Well, of course I can’t answer that question fully and
completely, but I now have exciting details such as what neighborhood I’ll live
in, what church I’ll attend, where I will be working during the week, and who
is on my Mission Year team! Take notes so that you have specific people and
places to pray for!
Where?
I’m going to live in Southwest Philadelphia (click here for a map)! My
neighbors will mostly be African and African-American, mostly working class.
Many of the homes there are in the style of “row houses,” where the
long, narrow homes are lined up side by side down the block, with a very small
front yard and a stoop leading straight to the sidewalk. I will live down the
street from my…
…Church!
I will attend Grace Christian Fellowship (visit their website here), “a
non-denominational Christian fellowship dedicated to spreading the good news of
Jesus Christ and His resurrection to all men, women, boys, and girls.” It has
grown from a small Bible study of 22 in the home of Rev. Cean R. James in 2005
to a growing congregation of 250 with a permanent home on Grays Avenue in
Southwest Philly. They are committed to reaching the people of their
neighborhood with the gospel.
Service Site
I will be serving at the People’s Emergency Center (PEC)
(check out their website), an organization that “nurtures families, strengthens neighborhood,
and drives change. We are committed to increasing equity and opportunity
throughout our entire community. We provide comprehensive supportive services
to homeless women and their children, revitalize our West Philadelphia
neighborhood, and advocate for social justice.” The services they offer range
from emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to employment training, to
childcare and healthcare. In addition, PEC is involved in developing and
rehabilitating affordable housing and spurring the growth of business in West Philly. They also advocate for policies that protect the working poor
and homeless. Although the details are not yet set in stone, I'll be working in the digital literacy programs designed to "bridge the digital divide." (visit the digital literacy website) I'm very excited to join alongside what PEC is doing to pursue change in West Philadelphia!
Finally…
Team Members!
These are the people I’ll be living with for the next year!
I am excited to be able to experience so much with them in the next year. We
will pray together, be discipled together, eat together, walk together, learn
to love in so many new ways, and so much more! Learn their names and faces by
visiting their personal donation pages:
and my alum team leader, Isabella Fout
Start following their blogs now and over the course of the year get a different angle on my life in Philadelphia, through their eyes!
When?
Here’s my somewhat complicated schedule:
- Visit Atlanta friends August 30-Sept 6
- Mission Year national orientation in Houston Sept 6-Sept 11
- Mission Year Philly orientation Sept 11~Sept 18
- Start living the Mission Year life ~Sept 18!
Thanks so much for praying through these things and taking the time to walk with me along my MY journey.
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