So, how do you transform a community?
It turns out there’s a method, and it is called Purpose Built Communities (purposebuiltcommunities.org/our-network/houston-connection-community). Purpose Built has served as a guiding consultant, and model for our work at Gethsemane. They focus on a small geographic area and create an epicenter of transformation that sends shockwaves into the neighborhood. Gethsemane is the center of our epicenter.
These redevelopment efforts fall into three categories: education, wellness, and housing. If we can invest in these buckets of good work, neighborhood resurrection can’t be stopped. The new Community Center will host education and wellness programs like PX Project, Legacy Healthcare Clinic, after-school recreation in the gym, and spaces for Student Ministries and worship that are essential for spiritual wellness.
The scope? Everything from cradle to career. That’s why Small Steps Nurturing Center at Gethsemane is so important. Neighborhood transformation must start in the cradle.
These combined interventions should make the neighborhood a safe and vibrant place for people to be born, grown, live, and start a career.