Like God Stories? Then You'll Love This
A week ago Emily and I celebrated our third anniversary. As a matter of fact, we closed on the 42House just a few weeks before we got married in 2018, which gave us two reasons to celebrate: The Launch of our family and the launch of Greenhouse Project.
When we were dating Emily and I would drive around Chester and pray over neighborhoods, streets and homes. We would dream of helping moms, kids and people grow. We would pray and see visions of whole blocks of families getting saved and serving Jesus. We knew that if we could find the right house, in the right neighborhood God could use us for transformation.
So what’s the 42House back story? I met Emily through a bible study in Chester and watched her quickly catch the vision of Greenhouse Project. God called her to work with children and families. After a few weeks, I made an announcement about looking for a building for our ministry. A place where a family could live and use their lives and home as a ministry. It was clear both Emily and I were living from the same approach that “Life is ministry and ministry is life.” Just years prior Lisa and David Merideth adopted me into their family and modeled this very lifestyle.
One night after bible study, I mustered up enough courage to ask Emily on a date, and by date it was, “hey, wanna drive around Chester and pray over the ghetto areas and see if God will show us something?” Well... She said yes.
We connected over coffee and sharing that I had been praying over five neighborhoods in Chester for the past 10 plus years. I was hoping for God to call me to one of the most challenged areas.
That week I started praying for East 23rd Street but never told anyone. I had lived several streets over and knew the neighborhood well. But God pressed on my heart to go to East 23rd and pray. It was in an email exchange that Emily revealed she too was praying about 23rd Street. How weird is that? We met on the 23rd and we were both praying about 23rd street.
We drove together from Brookhaven to Chester. It was a straight shot down 352, about two miles away, and as soon as we passed Chester Park, East 23rd was coming up on the left. When we made the turn onto the one way street, I said to Emily that I was looking for a three story red brick house. Instantly Emily replied, “As long as it has a red door.”
We stopped at the first stop sign and looked to the left on the corner of East 23rd and there was a three story house with a red door. We were both shocked. Right away I pulled over and parked and the rest is history. We spent so many nights praying over our house and our corner. I remember asked God if He would give this house to us that we would dedicate it to him. That night I knew God was calling us to this neighborhood and that Emily would be instrumental in our ministry.
The story gets better because we fell in love, got married and launched the Greenhouse Project. Our family is ready to welcome our new baby girl next month, and as we run down memory lane ahead of this major transition, we’re assured everything we do starts in our home with family and the desire to fulfill the vision God gave us: families, streets, blocks and the city becoming transformed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Emily and I look back with smiles and gratitude at what God has done since 2018:
70+ addicts got recovery help during 400 hrs of free counseling
88,000 meals distributed in our weekly mobile food outreach
70+ church services at our home
Nearly 20 people in discipleship groups
40+ outreach events reaching hundreds of people with the gospel message and prayer
How is Greenhouse Project staying busy?
Sunday House Church
Discipleship groups
Recovery Coaching / Counseling, in person & online
Mobile Food Outreach to five locations
Monday Night Christ Centered Recovery Meeting
Community Garden
Basketball Courts for the community kids
Homework Club
Recently EFCA Acredditied
Too many outreach events to name! Community clean up, prayer walks, evangelism, Thanksgiving Food Boxes, Christmas Food and Toys, Easter meals, and many more!
Second Greenhouse location on the West Side of Chester, 912House, getting prepped for renovations
All this to say how amazed we are at what God has done and is continuing to do through our ministry and with people in our community. Emily and I have dedicated our lives to following Jesus, making disciples and loving our neighbors. And through that, we believe God will help people grow in difficult places like Chester and we will see our community completely changed!
As we get into the Holiday season we hope to continue our work not only in one community, but now two. This is why we are praying for all of our partners and champions this season. It's because of your gift of giving and volunteering that we are able to make this amazing impact. Emily and I are filled with so much joy for each and every donation and volunteer that impacts the people we love in our community.
Please take the time to check out our updated website and PROJECTS and consider giving and sharing Greenhouse Project with your social media, friends, family and coworkers this holiday season. Together we can make a difference that lasts multiple generations and beyond!
With all of this happening, we are so happy to announce that our baby girl is due to be born December 1st 2021, expanding our family to five. I can't believe all that God has blessed us with. I will forever remember giving my life to Jesus in a jail cell in 2006 and have one dream: Not to be a junky or a criminal. God took that and gave me a fresh vision to help others coming out of my same situation and blessed us with so much more.