(You can also view this newsletter in its original form by visiting http://eepurl.com/xmV_)

Dear friends,

We have lots of news to share with you all this month.

First of all, we have a big event coming up at the end of the summer: a low-cost music and arts camp for kids in grades 7 – 12. From August 9th – 14th, we’re putting on a music and arts camp for kids who normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend summer camp, ending with a reception and celebration on Sunday afternoon, August 15th. We’re getting volunteers to teach workshops in vocal music, painting, creative writing, and more! Check out our website to keep updated on the event and to find registration information.

Secondly, we’re looking to start a new daytime Life Group that will explore scripture together. If you are interested in joining us, or know someone who is, please let us know!

Read on for some stories about what we’ve been up to in April!
We also love getting feedback from you. If you have questions about what we’re doing, if it inspires a thought, please let us know.

Peace,

Melissa

Changing a City – One Piece of Trash at a Time
by Ben Yosua-Davis

Sometimes you can change with a city with nothing but a broom and a pair of gloves.

This is what I discovered when we collaborated with the city during the Earth Day city cleanup on Saturday, April 24th. It’s amazing how dirty your city can get without you realizing noticing, and the downtown (where we cleaned up) was no exception. It took us the better part of two and a half hours to clean a few city blocks, sweeping up trash, picking up the better part of a thousand cigarette butts, and generally giving the downtown the love that it had been missing for years.

Cleaning makes community too – my team of four stopped to talk with people and explain what we were doing. One member of our team caught up with a friend from school. Matt prayed with another person through his apartment window for healing.

We spent the better part of the morning cleaning up what was undoubtedly the dirtiest alleyway in the city – a little one lane street with a defunct business and a “mug me here” sort of look. A lot of sweeping, one bucket, hundreds of cigarettes, and one large television later, and we made it look a lot more attractive for the thousands of people who walk by it every week.

We were able to make a genuine difference in just a few hours with just a few people. What might you be able to do with the same in your own community?

Connecting Community through the Arts
by Melissa Yosua-Davis

The Vine painted a tile for a new mural going up in downtown Haverhill. The mural, sponsored by Team Haverhill, is comprised of 32 4′ by 4′ tiles. The tiles were distributed to various organizations, churches, and individuals throughout the city for painting. To learn more about this project, check out their Facebook page!  Check out our work-in-progress below!