Westfield church repairing 44 homes next week
Submitted
CrossRoads Church at Westfield is bringing 340 high school students and adult leaders from around the country to Westfield, June 15 to 21, for a week 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 third year that CrossRoads has offered the home repairs, in 2021 completing 26 home sites and in 2023 repairing 23 homes.
Photo provided by CrossRoads Church at Westfield
“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, we do not check bank statements or ask financial questions. We just want to serve our neighbors. This year we had 87 applications for repairs and have chosen 44 houses to receive the repairs this year.”
All repairs will be completed in one week. The total cost for home repair materials will be $48,500. More information can be found at crchurch.org/home-repairs.
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. 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 14 communities this summer across the United States doing week-long youth mission home repairs,” Lohe explained. “I have been attending these camps since 2005 working as staff and a volunteer. Our church has sent many students and adults to these home repair camps in the past and are sending 18 high schoolers to a Group Workcamp in Middletown, Ohio, this summer.”
Photo provided by CrossRoads Church at Westfield
Lohe continued, “We are extremely grateful to Westfield Washington Schools, which is a great partner in this effort housing our participants, as well as to the Hamilton County Community Foundation which gave us a generous grant for building materials. We give much thanks to the Rotary Club of Westfield, which is providing food as participants arrive, to Culver’s for ice cream for all participants and residents at the end-of-week celebration, to the Westfield Lions Club for serving our participants, 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 concluded, “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 to make Jesus real in our communities.”
CrossRoads wants to both be good neighbors and also involve others in helping community neighbors.
CrossRoads is located at 19201 Grassy Branch Road, Westfield. For more information about all of CrossRoads Church’s “For Our Neighbor” community outreach programs, check out ForOurNeighbor.Life.
Photo provided by CrossRoads Church at Westfield
In addition to these home repairs, CrossRoads Church sponsors the well-known Wild, Wild Westfield Fall Fest and Premier Chili Cook-off in September, Pizza and Punchlines Free Comedy event in February, the monthly free Pet Food Giveaway, and Celebrate Recovery for people dealing with needs and issues.
If you would like to help in this repair effort, email forourneighborinfo@gmail.com or reach out at ForOurNeighbor.Life. Donations for repair materials can be given securely at bit.ly/3ERrXUJ.