Merry Christmas and happy new year from Cornerstone!

http://www.cornerstone-housing-ministry.org/newsletter/2011-fall-newsletter/

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

More recently, board members have come from several churches.

Efforts began with the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood, which was in decrepit condition at the time. Cornerstone bought a number of buildings there and worked on rehabbing them. As the neighborhood gentrified, most of these were eventually sold to provide operating revenue.

In about 1990, Cornerstone began buying properties on Etzel Street in the West End, roughly near Page at Skinker, and rehabbing there. Today that is where most of the Cornerstone buildings are. In the meantime, New City Fellowship chose to begin ministries in the same area.

The new project at 5936-38 Etzel is currently a duplex in unoccupiable condition. We will make it into two efficiencies on the first floor, plus a three-bedroom apartment on the second floor. We are hoping the two efficiencies will make great dwelling places for graduates of the Grace and Peace Winter Shelter. This housing is not transitional; it will be managed like other Cornerstone housing, with the tenants free to stay as long as they like and as long as they hold to terms of the lease.

A team including members of Grace and Peace Fellowship and others got plenty accomplished at a workday this past Saturday. Several of us worked on the new Cornerstone project, clearing out junk and debris from the two-family building purchased six months ago. Cornerstone is gathering funds to be able to rehab it into three apartments, two suitable for residents from the Grace and Peace Winter Shelter.

Groups finished the work of chopping and chipping a big old tree that fell down last year, and tidied the landscaping on Etzel Street.

It’s been a while since the last one. During that time we’ve

–changed managing directors and
–started a new project, a building rehab on Etzel Street that we expect will include small apartments for two graduates of the Grace and Peace Winter Shelter.

Check it out!

http://www.cornerstone-housing-ministry.org/newsletter/2011-spring-newsletter/

or the printable version,

http://www.cornerstone-housing-ministry.org/2011_01_spring_nl.pdf

Blessings,

Jim Lowe and Phyllis Wheeler, board members

And InterVarsity students from Iowa and St. Louis University (below) helped us out too. Thanks so much, folks! What a great ministry opportunity for you, and a huge boost for us!

We’re excited about it. Help us grow! Donate time or money.

Josh is finishing a Master in Arts degree from Covenant Seminary and comes originally from Oklahoma.  He and his wife attend New City Fellowship.  Welcome, Josh!

After a lot of planning last year, we had picked out a building to purchase and rehab. But that fell through.  Now the Lord has put a building into our laps at a lot less money. Plus, it’s on our prime street, Etzel, nearly across the street from our most recent rehab. (The one that fell through was a couple of blocks away.)  AND a benefactor gave us a loan for $15,000 at just the right time to pay for purchasing this building and stabilizing it prior to rehab. (The roof is leaking, etc. etc.)  It’s pretty clear the Lord wants us to rehab this building!

It’s a two-family building at 5936-38 Etzel Street. Our plan is to renovate the second floor three-bedroom apartment and transform the first floor two-bedroom apartment into two efficiency apartments. These efficiencies are what is needed for women “graduating” from the Grace and Peace Winter Shelter, which asked us to consider creating some housing for them.

We hope you’ll be open to supporting us in this rehab.  We’d like to get the money raised and the job done as soon as possible, to put this dwelling back into service.