Fatal shooting only two blocks away from us

Another tragedy for our Community. Monday December 4th may have started as a normal day, but it ended in tragedy. Just two blocks away, on 21st and Edgemont, a woman (Terry Long) was fatally shot. The news said 25 bullet casing were found. 

This is the reality of Chester, this is how we live on a daily basis. Never really knowing if and when tragedy will strike, to me, my family or anyone in our community. And so many families have no choice but to figure out a way to keep our children safe.  

With so many challenges we face, we have to stop and acknowledge that a loved one lost her life. We are sorry, and we are praying for the families. We care, and we will continue to care. 

This reminds me of how Jesus wept when he was faced with the death of Lazarus.  God, in human form, cried and was broken that humility would even know what death was.

The whole purpose of the Greenhouse Project is to help people to grow and thrive in the face of tragedy and difficult circumstances. We are here to build real relationships that influence people to become Born Again, new creations that go back and influence their friends and families! 

We believe God is doing something new in the midst of this challenge. So here is our reality, we have seen lives changed, baptized, recovered from addiction and so much more for the Kingdom of God. Chester is a hurting community. The challenges the people face who live here are very real. But God is also real.

Even in the darkness, even in the hurting, He is still the same. He called us to minister (serve in the Greek) to our neighborhoods, and we are not going anywhere until God tells us!  

There are many development programs that meet urgent needs and aid those in crisis, but this alone does not create long-term healing and change. The heart of Greenhouse Project is to build relationships living with those who struggle in order to create a lasting impact. 

We build each relationship with the hope of transformation. The lasting impact of one person being changed and then in turn being a light to those around them is impossible to calculate.

Is this area “safe”? Well, no it's not. We intentionally moved into one of the most challenged neighborhoods to shine the light of Jesus. And we have faith and trust in God who led us here.

Please join us in praying for transformation in Chester.