Take the City is excited to be partnering with churches and businesses from all over the Chattahoochee Valley area to work towards transforming 10 neighborhoods in our area. The goal of “Project LifeHouse” is to fix up homes in impoverished areas and then place families and individuals in those areas to bring hope and transformation. We plan to do this through consistent service projects, outreaches and by sharing the love of Christ while living there. In exchange for doing weekly service projects and outreaches in those areas these families and individuals will pay reduced rent to stay in these homes in exchange for their service. Over time we believe that these efforts in will transform the neighborhoods we are working in by decreasing crime and increasing the quality of life in these areas.
We have recently been given a property off Bradley Circle which is in the City Village/ North Highland community of Columbus. We are so excited to receive this property because we have been doing outreach and summer VBS programs in various parts of North Highland neighborhood for over three years. Our prayers to be able to reach this area in a more effective way has been matched with someone offering to give us a property that we can fix up and use for to minister to people living in this area. We believe that God not only wants to improve the cosmetics of this neighborhood but that He also wants to transform the hearts and lives of those there with the amazing news of Jesus Christ.
Bradley Circle is a remote area right next to the Chattahoochee River and is located off 29th street. This historic neighborhood was once a thriving community for those working at “City Mills”. This specific LifeHouse would serve close to 50 homes in the Bradley Circle and 1st avenue area. The demographics of the close to 100 people near this home show that this is a very needy area. Over 60 percent of residents are under the poverty line and there is a 20 percent unemployment rate.
Today this area is an area that Historic Columbus wants to help preserve and restore over the next 15-25 years along with a massive City Village Project that aims to revitalize the whole area leading into uptown Columbus. We hope to partner with local churches, businesses and organizations to start with the revitalization of this single home and then aim to help see the whole Bradley Circle area revitalized spiritually and physically.
Once we have this home remodeled our goal is to train and equip single young men to live in this house and to help work in this neighborhood by coordinating yard-work, home improvements, trash pickups, community building events and bible study/ prayer groups. These bible study groups will be open weekly to the community and the coordinated efforts in the neighborhood will happen monthly in coordination with the monthly Take the City outreach events.
Click here to see a recent WRBL News report about this project!
Even with only 2 Take the City Outreaches under my belt, they have made such an impact in my own personal journey of faith, and others I have crossed paths with! The most special part to me is knowing that even if I meet someone and I never see them again, I know God has allowed me to touch their heart and plant a seed that I couldn’t have done sitting at home. I’m so thankful for this organization because it truly has allowed me to connect with others, with the goal of bringing them closer to Christ, while becoming closer with God myself at the same time.