In order to pastor a community, you
need perspective. A very broad perspective. You have to be
aware of what is happening in your neighborhood, city, region. What
has happened historically? What are the challenges and opportunities
that characterize your community? And most importantly, what do you
see God doing?
We have long held the philosophy that,
as long as things line up with vision, we walk through whatever doors
open before us. God is capable of guiding, correcting, and certainly
protecting us. This gives us endless opportunities for learning.
A while back we were approached with an
opportunity. ND Consulting, the local developer, was behind in what
are called “make-readies”. A “make-ready” refers to doing
whatever maintenance is necessary to a vacated apartment, etc. before
a new tenant moves in. They wanted to know if we wanted the work.
We were already partnering with them on several projects, so they were aware of the nature of our ministry and that we had the necessary skill sets.
We started by touring one of their
developments that was a overhauled elementary school, now turned into
apartments. Most of their developments are low-income,
rent-controlled apartments.
Like our other businesses, we started
by doing all the work ourselves. We had to break down bidding,
maintenance, painting, and cleaning. Soon, though, we were able to
integrate employees. We discovered that this was a perfect working
environment for our ministry. It is relatively safe. No big
machines or spinning blades. It has a broad skill set, with a fairly
low bar initially. This means someone with few skills can come in
and be trained on a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities. This
can lead to several different career paths. Also, it is a contained
environment, which means supervision is easy and efficient.
There are complications though. The
work is dependent on the ebb and flow of vacancies. Emergency jobs
pop up. Bidding can be time consuming, and difficult when it comes
to work we've never done.
This business has led to other great
opportunities. We started masonry and roofing soon afterwards. The
same developer later asked us to provide lawn maintenance. Again,
this has proven to be a good match for us. There is a good range of
skill sets (pushing a mower, maintaining equipment, managing crews
and supplies). It is local. It puts eyes all over the neighborhood.
It keeps the place looking nice. We even took on a few vacant lots
along the main thoroughfare to keep the place looking nice.
All of these skills cross over easily
into the rest of our ministry. Employees end up trained to work in
property rehab. Our own lawns get maintained. We have tools and
skills to do community clean-ups, and to beautify the neighborhood.
Property maintenance and lawn care were
two opportunities that came to us, and are creative ways to solve
problems. They have given us new ways to create employment and
pastor our community.
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