At Saturday's Community Beautification Day, we helped pot 50 planters for as many families in the neighborhood. That was a lot of soil, flowers, peppers, and pots - and they all got used! Outside of the new Esperanza Health Center building, the S.E.A.C. coalition hosted this great event for community members. We had music, crafts for kids, healthy snacks, and these fun planters to plant. Just the right amount of families came, and I believe all the volunteers had a great time helping with the planting! :)

This little boy had a particularly good time. He took his time filling his pot - first helping his friends and then doing his own - one small hand-full at a time. He then excitedly dug into the soil to prepare to plant. As he followed my instructions on how to "loosen" the flower roots before planting, he was astonished to come upon a worm hidden in the roots! After telling him what I had just learned - that worm poop helps to enrich the soil - he became even more delighted and affectionately named his slinky friend "slimy."

It was so fun to be a part of coordinating this event. God provided good weather and a spirit of joy permeated the place.

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S.E.A.C. is a coalition that represents our church, Spirit and Truth Fellowship, Esperanza Health Center, Ayuda Community Center, and Casa de Consejeria (House of Counseling), four Christian organizations that serve our community. S.E.A.C. received an awesome grant to work together for two years, hosting a unique community event each month.

websites for each: esperanzahealthcenter.org, ayudacc.org

Celebrations!

The Open House celebration at CLCP last Thursday was a great success. After weeks of hard work planning the event (on Ted’s part), sending out invitations, and hoping for a good turnout, I can say it paid off in a lovely way – many people came, and they didn’t seem to want to leave!

I don’t know why I have a tendency to sit in the background and worry about things. Two months ago, Ted and Pete decided to throw this Open House party, at the suggestion of a CLCP donor. Neither of them had experience in planning an event like this, but they put their heads together – along with  the Ayuda clinic coordinator Pam, who does have extensive experience in this – and sweat through the details involved in making any four-hour “open house” event a success.

As for me –  I prayed for them.  I refilled coffee dispensers and set out dessert displays during the event. I made nametags. And that’s about it!  Oh yes … and I worried!  I didn’t know how to make this event a success. How do you plan a program for a rotating crowd, not knowing when the peak traffic times will be?  I didn’t know how best to dive in and be a part of the planning committee, so I watched some of the planning unfold.

When I arrived two hours before the kick-off to help with set-up, I saw that Ted and Pete had already arranged the tables and chairs, and skillfully displayed artwork from Ayuda’s youth art program around the room. It looked great. But not as great as when 40-50 people filled the room at the peak of the party! J

So many people came: volunteer clinic attorneys and their spouses, law school friends of Ted’s, pastors, teenage volunteers from HPCA, and other key community members. We had a diverse food spread for a hundred people – Thai, Mexican, and Puerto Rican; Susan Post gave a tour of the newly opened Esperanza Health Center next door; and half a dozen ministry partners shared their excitement and vision for the legal clinic’s work. You can hear what the speakers had to share, here.

So I didn't really need to worry - just trust. Ted and the team did such great, hard work to pull this off. Thank God for a great event! And for an opportunity to share and celebrate with so many the work  CLCP is doing. 

The theme for the year at CLCP. Ted helped design this
concept, and a graphic designer from church prepared it.

A great crowd of folks.

Yummy spread with Ayuda artwork in the background.

Ted sharing his story of why he works at CLCP.

CLCP

Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia (CLCP) is a legal ministry that operates “neighborhood clinics” bi-monthly throughout Philadelphia. For ten years now, lawyers (mostly Christian) have committed time each month to offering free, hour-long consultations to people in need of assistance, but who cannot afford standard legal fees. CLCP operates their clinics through partner organizations, who both offer space for the clinic to run and promote the clinic within their neighborhood. The model has worked for these several years, and now, God has prepared the setting for CLCP to strengthen and expand its efforts.

In North Philly, CLCP partners with the Ayuda Community Center, a faith-based organization started by members of our church in Hunting Park. Every other Tuesday, three to four attorneys gather in the Ayuda clinic, and each one meets individually with two to three clients. The attorneys’ aim is to offer expert advice on the client’s legal issues, and also to extend compassion through a listening ear and prayer. In some cases, the attorneys may even be able to take on a client’s case pro bono. In these poignant situations, the Gospel enters as a way to console and encourage oft-distressed clients, and each attorney’s ultimate aim is to minister to everyone who walks in the clinic’s doors.

Now, because of God putting the right people and processes in place, and one particularly generous donor, CLCP has hired their first ever employees, established a head office, and is prayerfully looking to expand their services to other neighborhoods in the city.

TED is their first full-time hire! And we’re so blessed by that J Read more about what Ted will be doing  here.