North Lake Wire Outreach: Sharing Light in the Darkness

BY LINDA GILDEN

“When I got up this morning, I said, ‘Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!’ The Lord answered my prayer, y’all,” a resident of the North Lake Wire neighborhood in Lakeland said. “I’ve been living here for 47 years, and this side has never looked this good,” she added. “I just wanted to come out this morning and tell you. It was a blessing to see that somebody cared.”

Lawnmowers whirred, saws buzzed, volunteers called to one another and residents chatted as this woman shared her excitement. Her heartfelt joy came in response to the kingdom work of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Lakeland, on its recent outreach day. Under the leadership of The Rev. Kathy Hulin, assistant rector, and The Rev. Bob Johnson, deacon, church volunteers of all ages pitched in on Sept. 26 to clean up and improve this impoverished community. “About 20 young people gave up their Saturdays to be part of this day,” Hulin said. “They picked up trash, put together food boxes, played with the neighborhood children and helped with various other jobs. In the past, children as young as 3 have come to work with their

parents. Older volunteers cut shrubbery, pushed lawnmowers and painted the home of an appreciative resident. This year we weren’t sure what the turnout would be like. But all ages showed up to help.” This recent outreach was All Saints’ fifth event in the North Lake Wire neighborhood. Though the safety precautions of COVID-19 necessitated some marked changes from previous years, including the wearing of masks and the absence of child-friendly offerings such as a bounce house and slushy machine, the work continued throughout the day. And the neverending smiles from both residents and volunteers did too. Purposeful Partnerships The North Lake Wire Outreach began when policemen assigned to the area identified it as gang active and violent. Out of a desire to help residents of North Lake Wire and similar neighborhoods, the officers formed a committee called the Gang Task Force. The city then asked the Dream Center of Lakeland, a faithbased nonprofit that already had connections in impoverished neighborhoods, to help with this outreach. Johnson of All Saints’ became involved with the task force, and Mike Cooper, director of the Dream Center, is also a Lakeland Police Department chaplain. The committee organized Gang Task Force events throughout the city and found that gang activity in these neighborhoods reduced to almost zero. Johnson said, “All Saints’ participated in these Gang Task Force events with other churches. But we saw each neighborhood only every couple of

years, and this lacked consistency. The events had limited effect.” He added, “All Saints’ decided to adopt a neighborhood to make a lasting effect on a specific area. We asked the Dream Center for a neighborhood dealing with drugs and prostitution, and they recommended North Lake Wire.” All Saints’ decided to offer two major North Lake Wire events each year in March and September along with smaller events each month. Twice a year the Lakeland Police Department joins over 200 people along with neighborhood churches, charities, city officials and residents in this effort. “Cleaning up the neighborhood makes the residents feel better about where they live,” Johnson said. “Many of the elderly have been there for decades. For many newer residents, living here is the most affordable way to have shelter for their families. When the residents see us arrive and start working, they come out and join us. And that’s what we want – for them to take

pride in where they live.” Between the major events, volunteers continue to mow and clean up the neighborhood, and other organizations have joined their efforts. Paint Your Heart Out, a volunteer organization that sponsors a one-day event to paint homes in Lakeland, came to North Lake Wire to paint one man’s house. There, leaders spoke with another man, a veteran. They discovered that although his home also needed painting, a leaky roof had caused the problem. The committee contacted an area roofer to see if he would help, and he repaired the man’s roof and took time to fix a leaky roof in a neighborhood church too. All Saints’ wants to not only clean up the physical area of North Lake Wire but also to build relationships with the families who live there. Church volunteers deliver food boxes to the residents along with potted plants or flowers for their homes. As they do, they ask residents about specific ways they can pray for them. Lasting Results OUTREACH

The North Lake Wire Outreach has yielded results that go far beyond improving the neighborhood’s curb appeal.

God has worked through the kingdom efforts of the All Saints’ volunteers to bring about lasting change. The North Lake

Wire neighborhood is now accepted as a neighborhood with a legitimate goal. Residents want to learn and be good neighbors to others. And All Saints’ continues to work with the city to find the most effective ways to address various community needs. The Lakeland Police Department’s neighborhood liaison officer said he has been amazed with the improvement in this area since All Saints’ has been working there. His officers now feel safer performing their duties, he said. About All Saints’ community outreach, Johnson said, “The police performed an extensive before-and-after evaluation of the neighborhood and observed a 35% reduction in calls for service in the North Lake Wire neighborhood, and violent crimes were reduced.” The Rev. Dr. Reid Hensarling, All Saints’ rector, recognizes that the North Lake Wire Outreach is helping his church fulfill its kingdom purpose. “We are modeling what it’s supposed to be like: People helping people.”