I have to say that I’m pretty excited about the green movement in Haverhill. It’s certainly growing! We had our first single-stream recycling pick-up this morning (I was thrilled when they decided to expand the pilot into Bradford!) and we gave them about two whole trash barrel’s worth of recycled plastics, cans, and papers. Hooray for new ways to reduce our trash!
The resurgence of the Farmer’s Market also amazes me. To think that one year ago, we had one faithful vendor with their delicious crops, and now we have so many more farmers and craftspeople offering their locally grown and made products. I love being able to go every week and have five different varieties of apples to choose from, homemade goat cheese to sample, eggplants available to purchase from three different vendors, and locally made soaps and honey.
In that same vein, in many of our conversations with people from around the city, folks are energized about what community gardens could offer Haverhill. In addition to fresh vegetables open to all people – especially those who may not have access to local produce – community gardens offer a space for people to meet and create something together, an opportunity to reclaim and take pride in a neighborhood, a chance to build a greener city and a greener world.
Even though fall has come, the new life of this green movement continues to spread, bringing a new energy and a new vitality to Haverhill that I didn’t sense, even a year ago when I first moved here.
I sense new life sprouting in other ways – not just through Haverhill becoming more environmentally conscious. Even though times are tough economically, the downtown brims with potential for revitalization and expansion of small businesses. Art and music are everywhere – the Wingate Arts district has fast become one of my favorite streets to explore and visit (and I love the shoes everywhere!). I hear lots of hope about Haverhill’s future and what Haverhill has to offer the wider region. The “green” of this new life is everywhere to be seen!
For me, this is what we as Christians are called to do: “green” the gray world around us; bring new life and hope out of broken situations. Bring color and creativity to an otherwise dull and boring backdrop. Spark dreams and touch lives and partner in the creation of a new world of justice and peace and hope. In this way, I see Haverhill going green as more than just about the environment – it’s about a new life, a new dream, a new future for the city in which I live.
I’m always amazed at the different perspective you get when you walk the streets of a place. Driving doesn’t quite cut it – you are too cut off from the action, too insulated from the place you are in, too far removed from the people. When you drive, you don’t have to let a place in; all you are doing is passing through, generally too fast to notice anything but the road.
Walking brings you face to face with the area around you. It’s harder to ignore the houses you pass by or the people you encounter. You can notice things like the number of power meters on a house, or the level of trash left out on the sidewalk, or the small backyards kids have to play in. You can see the houses change from those on neglected lots to those with well-manicured lawns – and those that stick out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood.
We prayed through two neighborhoods yesterday morning, walking around Auburn and Portland Streets, as well as Summer Street. Two very different neighborhoods, but probably no less in their need for the love of God to change hearts and minds. I had only driven around these areas previously; walking them completely opened my eyes and changed my perspective. We have a few more neighborhoods targeted for prayer walks – the downtown and Washington heights to name a couple – and I hope to be similarly changed the next time we go about praying for the houses, the people we pass, and the issues people face.
One of the murals in Downtown Haverhill
After a few years of dreaming what church could look like, we find ourselves in the midst of that dream. The four of us have begun our life together as a community and are settling into the house as our collective home. I have to say that living in community is already feeling more natural to me than living as individuals. It has truly been a blessing so far to be able to share our lives and our faith journeys together. I’m sure it will just continue to blossom in deeper ways. Alongside our journey together in community, we are seeking to begin a new community of faith. This is something we have all been hoping for and are looking forward to the adventure.
I am expecting this new vision of church to look very different from what we are used to seeing in the more traditional church setting. We want to bring church out to people where they are, meeting them wherever they might be on their journey. I know that is something I am really looking forward to because I believe that people are hungry for God who may not feel comfortable walking through the doors of a traditional church. I also believe this was at the heart of how Jesus interacted with people, building relationships with them where they were and offering them extravagant love.
As I’ve had some opportunity this week to get out and meet some of the non-profits who are doing great work in Haverhill, I am also looking forward to partnering with them to be able to provide resources to those we will be reaching out to. I’m excited about some of the invitations we’ve already received to be with the people we are hoping to build relationships with and how God is working in this city. I continue to hear how there is a lot of poverty here and I believe through these partnerships and with the love of God, transformation can take place.
Living this dream is going to be wonderful, challenging, inspiring, difficult, and filled with Holy Spirit moments. I believe that despite how much we plan and look forward to what we will be doing in the city, that the Spirit will move in ways that we cannot even imagine yet. I have already seen how people are being inspired to be a part of this and I am always thankful to see how God moves in mysterious ways. I know that as we reach out to those on the streets, in businesses, in apartments, or wherever we meet them, God is with us. I hope some hunger will be satiated, extravagant love will be shared, and the fire of the Spirit will inspire and move mountains.
One of the things we’re hoping to do is to create a church where people don’t associate church with a building, but about people and a relationship. Where discipleship is about a wholistic approach to faith and life rather than adherence to an intellectual set of beliefs or going to the event on Sunday morning. Where we aim to bring the kingdom of God by making life better for every single person, regardless of whether or not people engage with us spiritually. Where we want to love the city the way God does.
I hope now that school is officially over and community life has more or less settled in, we can start really focusing on getting involved in the city – getting to know what resources are available for people on the margins and making relationships, getting involved in activities that spark each of our interests, and getting a better handle on the pulse of the city. I imagine that each of us will connect in very different areas – and how neat it will be to bring these different parts of Haverhill into relationship with one another!
The most exciting part for me is forming relationships with people out in the community. Once I kick this cold I’ve been fighting for the past few weeks or so, I want to get out there and really experience the city! I can’t wait to see what things God is already doing in the city. I can’t wait to pray through neighborhoods, see what there is to be seen, and get a better picture of what life in the city is like for most people. I can’t wait to relate the Gospel to their lives – to tell people that the way of Jesus Christ is full of hope and transformation and new life.
I think there are many unique ways that we can interface with the city – or (using more traditional language) be in ministry to the city. A few things we have planning are a welcoming ministry – new residents to Haverhill often have a difficult time getting involved and connecting with the city. Secondly, we’re thinking about an artists ministry; there is no meaningful artist community in the city – lots of things happening everywhere, but no real catalyst jumpstarting things. There are a few places: like Wingate Street Art District or some of the live music happening throughout the city on Bradford Common or on Wingate. Thirdly – something that I’ve been thinking about lately – is maybe connecting with the green movement in Haverhill. Greening the city is something that has a lot of potential in Haverhill, and there are a lot of people who are interested in partnering to make it happen – from green homes to single stream recycling to a revamped farmers market to community gardens throughout the city. How awesome would it be to have a church interested in helping these efforts?
Anyhow, these are a few of my thoughts about our future as a church in Haverhill. Things are looking up!
Because of all the rain and miserable weather we had been having over the past few weeks, the 4th of July fireworks were postponed from the 3rd of July to the 5th of July. We headed over to the stadium to check out the festivities – the first time for all of us! (Ben and I last year were so exhausted from moving in that we chose sleep over seeing the show).
There were a few vendors, and Team Haverhill, the local citizen action group had a couple tables along with a exhibit of one of their newest projects: Soles of Haverhill “Shoe-la-bration” which is a three month public art exhibit of twenty giant shoes celebrating Haverhill’s history as the shoe capital of the world. I’ve posted a couple of the pictures below.
One of the shoes
Another shoe!
Team Haverhill also was attempting to set the record for the most postcards sent from a single location at a time. The previous record in the Guinness Book of World Records was something like 4,300 from a place in China. According to the official count, we sent over 4,900 postcards promoting Haverhill!
We had a great time seeing the sights. One of the thing we noticed in the stadium was the large number of young kids – middle school and high school – wandering around without their parents. It was surprisingly a very young crowd – also a fair number of young adults with little children – but the number of kids really made an impression on all four of us. This may prove to be a fruitful area for ministry!
Matt and Farrah
The Fireworks Finale
