Westfield church repairing 21 homes next week
CrossRoads Church at Westfield is bringing 200 high school students and adult leaders from around the country to Westfield next week, June 18 to 24, for seven days to provide free home repairs for those in need.
Building or repairing wheelchair ramps, constructing decks, doing mobile home skirting, or painting the interior and exterior of homes are being offered for free to senior adults, veterans, and families in need in the northern Hamilton County area. This is the second year that CrossRoads has offered the home repairs; in 2021, 26 home sites were completed.
“We are seeking to be good neighbors and to help people stay in their homes,” said Eric Lohe, lead pastor of CrossRoads Church at Westfield. “Because finances are tough for many, the qualification for repairs is very simple. If you are in need of housing repairs so you can live in your house longer, then we want to help. We do not check bank statements or ask any financial questions. We just want to serve our neighbors. We have had over 70 applications for repairs and have chosen 25 houses to receive the repairs this year.”
The total cost for home repairs will be $35,000.
This program is being offered in partnership with Group Mission Trips, a youth mission organization based in Ft. Collins, Colo.
“Group Mission Trips (groupmissiontrips.com) will be in 20 communities this summer across the United States doing these week-long youth mission home repair camps,” Lohe explained. “I have been attending these camps since 2005 working as staff and a volunteer. Our church has sent a number of students and adults to these work camps and again we get to bring this to our community.”
The participants are church students and their adult leaders who will live in a school for a week and go out in smaller groups of six people to serve.
“We are extremely grateful to Westfield Washington Schools who is a great partner in this effort housing our participants as well as to the Central Indiana Community Foundation who gave us a generous grant for building materials,” Lohe said. “We give much thanks to the Rotary Club of Westfield who is providing food as participants arrive, to Culver’s for ice cream for all participants and residents at the end of week celebration, and to numerous community individuals who have generously provided resources. It is not just about us as a church trying to do something for our neighbors, it’s also about helping people be the best neighbors we can be.”
Lohe continued, “This effort is one of our four church initiatives called ‘For Our Neighbor.’ We are seeking to meet, know, enjoy, and serve the needs of our local neighbors.”
CrossRoads wants to both be good neighbors and also involve others in helping neighbors.
If you would like to help in this repair effort, email forourneighborinfo@gmail.com or call (317) 402-6574. CrossRoads is located at 19201 Grassy Branch Road, Westfield. You can go to ForOurNeighbor.Life for more information on all the CrossRoads Church’s “For Our Neighbor” community outreach programs that include free pet food, free Zumba, athletic shoes for elementary students, free comedy events, their Wild, Wild Westfield Fall Fest, and Celebrate Recovery for people dealing with needs and issues.