Jeff Ward on Nov 11th 2009 Builders of Hope
This past Saturday was an incredible success. 2ndSaturday’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity created a cohesive machine that yielded TREMENDOUS results. It was awesome to watch (and be a part of) a concrete slab becoming a framed structure (that honestly was a home) in less than 8 hours. Thanks to all who served. Another neat experience was when the prayer walk came by our home and 2ndSaturday along with Habitat stopped and prayed for this new home and the community. The prayer walk was mainly made up of West Dallas residents and pastors; it truly was a powerful experience. You could see in the faces of the West Dallas residents - that they truly appreciate all of your efforts to transform their community.
LET’S KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
If you’d like to see the rest of the photos from this past Saturday, check it out at: http://picasaweb.google.com/secondsaturdayboh/BlessWestNov72009#
As for this Saturday – November 14th we will continue work at 1830 Pueblo, Dallas. We have a fairly full roster, but there is still a spot or two open, so if you would like to serve, let me know ASAP. I will actually be out of town for the weekend, so your leadership team will be David Mangrum(214-578-7407), Chris Avary (904-300-7273), and Nancy Fields(214-707-5060). Feel free to contact me at anytime until Friday evening, and then David, Chris, and Nancy will be your Saturday contacts. Finally, there is a food drive associated with BlessWest, so I encourage you to bring non-perishable food items to the site if at all possible.
by Todd H. Fields
serve@2ndSaturday.org
214-558-8079
Jeff Ward on Oct 2nd 2009 Builders of Hope,Events
Come join us as we build relationships with West Dallas families!
October 31 – The Voice of Hope Fall Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is great for Community Groups and families looking to serve. Sign up by e-mailing externalfocus@watermark.org. Then, come ready to serve at Voice of Hope, 4120 Gentry, Dallas, TX 75212. There will be bounce houses, lunch service, and lots of other activities for the families of West Dallas.
November 21 – Come serve at “Bless West” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as we celebrate the completion of a Habitat house and spend the morning doing trash pick up in coordination with several West Dallas churches, West Dallas Weed and Seed, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, Builders of Hope, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and the Reese-Jones Foundation. Sign up by e-mailing externalfocus@watermark.org!
Jeff Ward on Jul 15th 2009 Builders of Hope
Last Saturday was incredible! Not even the 100+ degree weather could keep more than 200 singles and many other WCC families and kids from heading to West Dallas to serve their neighbors in the name of Christ!
One of our key partners there is Builders of Hope. BOH aims to provide “quality affordable housing to stimulate the revitalization of West Dallas and develop a healthy and safe community.” BOH also recognizes the importance of building people and hires former prisoners, in order to teach job skills and assist them in getting back on their feet. We had the privilege to work alongside these men, learn about the lives and encourage them as they encouraged us!
We spent the morning at 4 different houses doing demolition, landscaping, siding, and drywall. We even installed an entire 500 linear foot fence! The work done that day saved BOH approximately $6-7,000 in labor. We were so encouraged by the flexibility of the group, their willingness to serve and their creativeness in how they served. Folks picked up entire truck loads of trash on the side of the road that weren’t even at the designated locations. There were folks giving water to elderly neighbors and walking them to their homes in an effort to get them out of the heat. People chatted with the folks in neighborhood and shared with them the heart behind why we were there. This day was not about us, it was about them! It was fun to see such a large group of people loving their neighbor as Christ loves them!
We have been given so much and much is demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48) It is encouraging to see so many living that out! Come join us in the mission! For more information about regular service with BOH, please contact Todd Fields at www.2ndsaturday.org.
by Jessica Ridout
Jeff Ward on May 20th 2009 Builders of Hope
The Second Saturday Service Project in conjunction with Watermark members have teamed up with Builders of Hope to restore 3347 Canada Drive. We (with the help of licensed contractors) will take this project from start to finish to restore this home and to restore lives. This home was acquired from a slum landlord in an effort to change the course of West Dallas. This home served as a drug house and will become a beautiful home for a contributing member of West Dallas. That is how we will restore this home; here is how we will restore lives.
Builders of Hope has a work crew fellowship that witnesses and disciples to convicted felons to start a productive life for them and their family with Jesus Christ as the foundation. As a reward for tremendous progress, we have selected two work crew members to help manage this project from start to finish. In addition to the tremendous sense of accomplishment gained from the completion of this project, they will also serve as apprentices to the various skilled contractors that will help us complete this project.
The Second Saturday Service Project is a standing service opportunity which will be the Second Saturday of each month from 09:00am to 12:30pm. 3347 Canada Dr. will be our location for May, June, and July. Once we complete this project, we will start another home in August, and replicate this process again and again. For this project, the Watermark member base will provide labor for demolition, painting, and landscape. All in all, we will donate over $8,000 in labor, and all it will cost us is just a few hours on a Saturday morning. We still need a few service volunteers for May, and have several spots open for June, July, and August. Please get with your community groups and friends and commit to a Second Saturday. You can email us, or call Todd Fields at 214-558-8079 to commit.
SecondSaturdayBOH@yahoo.com
For more information about Builders of Hope, feel free to visit:
www.buildersofhopecdc.com
