Spring In The Montello Park Neighborhood

By Jake Norris

On Saturday, April 27, over 60 neighbors came together for the Montello Park neighborhood's second-annual Spring Cleanup! Together, we:

• Distributed 50 yards of mulch

• Weeded and cleaned up the waterway

• Filled a 20 yard dumpster

• Made a scrap metal run

• And fed the whole gang!

• ...all before 12pm!

In addition to bringing together the three congregations at 609 W 20th Street (All Saints, La Casa, and Real Life), we included members and neighbors from Christ Memorial Church, as well as Montello Park residents who are not connected to any church.Practically, this supported Jose & Linda from La Casa in caring for the property. It also made the playground safer for anyone who uses it. And it demonstrated a commitment to the common good.3Sixty sees events like this cleanup as an opportunity for bigger conversations: about the neighborhood, certainly, but also about life. Tim Soerens, pastor and author of "The New Parish," has a great quote about neighborhood/church relationships: "Most of our neighbors aren't asking church questions, but they might be asking God questions."  What's my purpose? How can I help others? Who cares? We have the chance to build trust and relationships with those who are asking those questions in our community, and we get to explore the answers together.Thank you so much for your partnership! I hope you enjoyed yourselves, met somebody new, and are inspired to dream of what else is possible as a community.