Greetings! We are so excited to have the opportunity to
share with you all that God is doing in Richmond, CA.
Extreme Makeover, Gym Edition! {Before & After}
As we began to pray about intentional ways that the church
could connect with the community, the leadership at Living Hope felt led to
seek the Lord for ways to renovate our gym area. Specifically, we needed to
improve the gym floor for safety for the children, to have the ability to
play basketball, and to host outreach events.
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| Living Hope's Gym Floors {before} |
After much prayer and through the sacrificial giving efforts
of the church and anonymous donors, we were able to make the change! We have
been so blessed to already see the impact of the change in our neighborhood.
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| Living Hope's Gym Floor {After} |
Extreme Makeover, Backyard Edition!
Our desire is for our home to be a place where people feel
loved and have the opportunity to connect with Jesus and one another. We began
to see how creating a space in our backyard would be a great step toward
continuing to make this happen. Though we knew we didn’t have the finances to
make this happen, we continued to ask the Lord to provide for this if He
thought that this would be a wise decision for us. As a result of an unexpected
financial blessing after a speaking engagement, we were able to invest in this
dream.
After about four weeks of hard work and the project management of Reggie
Gillespie, we were able to achieve our goal. We are so thankful for the
opportunity to invest in our neighborhood and this church-owned property in
this way.
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| D.I.Y. Backyard Progress Report {Top left: before; bottom right: after!} |
Soon after its completion, we were able to host 16 teens and leaders
for a time of reflection and s’mores! Please continue to pray that we can use
this new space as a bridge to build community with our neighbors and teenagers
in our area.
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| Youth bonfire... just one of the many gatherings already happening in the new backyard |
Sight For Sore Eyes!
One of our biggest desires is to meet felt needs in our
community. The lack of eye care in our area is one of those needs. We have
encountered so many individuals in our neighborhood that desire to read and
study the Bible but simply can’t see well. Also, we know that issues with our
eyes can sometimes be indicators of greater health issues that we need to be
aware of.
As a result of a partnership with Christian Layman Church in Oakland,
Living Hope was blessed with the opportunity to host a free eye screening for
Richmond and the surrounding areas on July 16-19th. There were 466
individuals that were able to have their eyes screened and, if needed, they received FREE GLASSES.
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| At the eye screening, prayer was offered for every individual who desired intercession. |
This outreach was a huge success in
meeting a tangible need in our community and providing our church the
opportunity to connect with many individuals in our surrounding neighborhoods.
In the two weeks following the event, we’ve seen an increased amount of interest
in the church, and more importantly, the Jesus that would compel us to do a
work like this!
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| Children of Richmond being served. |
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| Monique getting her eyes examined |
Below is a slideshow of the event. You may not recognize it with all the sheet dividers, but the main screenings took place in our newly renovated gym. Look closely and you'll see that the blessing of new floors was put to use immediately. To God be all glory.
Welcome To The Neighborhood!
The Lord is certainly doing a work in Richmond. We are
fortunate to be a part of it and it is always exciting when He continues to
confirm this work. The Lord has led 3 families to live in and serve the city of
Richmond while attending Living Hope Neighborhood Church. A few weeks ago,
Reggie and Kim Gillespie {who we introduced in July}, along with little Enoch, made the move across the
country from Spring Hill, TN in faith believing that the Lord has called them
west. Just this week, Brian and Ebony Lovely, with their children Canaan and
Gabrielle made the same cross country move!
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| The Lovely's |
Lastly, Jeff and Soha Leach, with
children Mya and Naomi, moved from San Ramon, CA to be a part of the Richmond
community.
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| The Leach Family |
Last month's newsletter addressed a need for more leaders to help with the harvest and look what God has done already! We are all excited to see what the Lord is going to do in our
community as a result of the faith steps of these wonderful friends and
followers of Christ!
Your Support Matters!
We are extremely grateful for the love and support that you
provide for us as we continue to move forward in obedience in Richmond. Your
prayer and encouragement has sustained us through times of trial and difficult
circumstances. Your financial support has provided an opportunity for us to
live and do the work of the ministry in Richmond. If you’d like to learn more
about how you can support us through prayer or finances, please contact us (or click here).
Sincerely,
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