“The Brown House”
Seven years ago, a courageous couple and 2 children felt called to sell their home and move into a low-income neighborhood for ministry purposes. During that time God has multiplied their ministry greatly. Over Spring Break, Landmark Campus Ministry joined the Pierces along with students from Alabama and UAB to serve the West Circle Community in Northport.
Last year, UCM decided to move 5 students into a house across the street from the Brown house, also owned by the Pierces, called the Blue House. While we there another couple from Tuscaloosa decided to move next door to the Red House. The community garden is located beside the Blue House in a previously unused lot.
How many? – 20 Landmark students, 70 total
What did we do?
§ Tilled and irrigated Community Garden
§ Cleared brush surrounding garden and “Blue House”
§ Built tin roof, replaced gutter, and fascia boards on “Blue House”
§ Installed French drain to help with standing water and flooding of Blue House crawl space
§ Painted Blue House kitchen cabinets
§ Landscaped Blue House
§ Put down gravel on “Blue House” drive way and also “Red House”
§ Cleared Brush from fence lines of “Red House”
§ Removed carpet and cleaned “Red House”
§ Built picket fence around Community Garden
§ Pressure Washed Red House
§ Built rails on front porch of Blue House
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From a student…
I had never been on a mission trip before and I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I had been given the opportunity to go but didn’t know the true impact it would have on others and me. I remember the first day, we worked for 9 hours clearing brush in the hot sun. I remember getting back and thinking I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I was so worn out. But God gave us all the strength to come back the next day. I didn’t know what to would happen that day but I worked on a house that should have been torn down. Just like when people say in our lives to quit or why are you doing that? I wondered why about this house . But we began to work on it. We pulled up carpet, we swept, we mopped, we washed walls, we cleaned, we vacuumed, we washed away the horrible memories and brought light into a house filled with darkness and pain. Just as Jesus as washed away our sins, he has swept our sins up, he vacuumed up our sins. When people gave up on us, Jesus didn’t. We couldn’t’ give up on this house. We gave it another chance just like God gives you and I another chance. I also remember thinking I could never live in a house like this. Then it hit me. I had bought into the American dream, what the world wanted. I had wanted a new car, nice house, nice clothes, etc. I never thought about what God wanted me to do or where he wanted me to be. I realized that all that stuff didn’t matter. What mattered is where God wanted me what his purpose for me was. He will provide for us just like he did with the mission trip by having someone foot the bill for the water for the garden or having someone install ac in the blue house. Its not about us or when we want things, its not about how much we want or what we want, its about God . He wants us to spread seed for his kingdom. He wants us to discover him and live and have purpose for him. God wanted us to clear the brush away from a dark place, he wanted us to clean a house full of dirt grime mold to maybe be a haven for someone someday, he wanted us to install an irrigation system in a garden to provide food for a community, he wanted us to share a smile to someone hurting, he wanted us there in Tuscaloosa to restore. Just as he has restored our lives, he wanted us to spread seed and restore others lives. God has a purpose and plan. We know there’s still much to be done. We need to spread the seed to other places. I am so thankful for the opportunity for this trip because it defiantly turned my world upside down and made me see what God wants me to see. I realized how i let the world influence on my thoughts and views instead of listening to God and what purpose he had for my life. Thanks so much to everyone who had a part of helping us to experience this mission trip because it was truly a blessing to the 20 people from Landmark and the community we helped restore.
Rachel Cunningham, Jr @ AUM
From the Pierce’s about the Brown House….
We don't do a lot at The Brown House. Nothing that really matters on any metric that can be used to show success. We do have a lot of spend-the-night parties. And backyard soccer. And a little air-soft. Maybe some brownies now and again. And some pizza.
Actually, a whole lot of pizza.
And you would be amazed at Christ's presence in these inconsequential things-as long as we can just get out of His way.
In these photo albums and on these pages, you will see our friends and neighbors and those who have been caught up with us in The Brown House since 2003. Every face is a reminder of Christ's love for us, as well as a chance to show Christ's love.
May Christ's presence be shown in each of us, to each of us, and through each of us in all that we do. May we have eyes to see Christ's presence, and the courage to meet that presence with the love of Christ Himself.
What we do…
We are just plain, vanilla, normal Christians who decided a while ago to share our lives, our love, and our home with the neighbors around us.
We live intentionally and deliberately to try to show Christ's love to the world, and we focus on the kids around us that we see each and every day.
By partnering with other interested individual, groups, and churches we have slowly expanded what we do, and our vision for the future expands as well.
Please take a few minutes to see more information on the Brown House and our time there.
North Port Couple Live Their Ministry - Tuscaloosa News
The Brown House Garden in North Port Newspaper
Spring Break Mission Trip 2010 Highlight Video
More Pictures from Spring Break Mission Trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Other Christians have decided to engage in this type of ministry as well. For example the Front Porch Ministry It is a movement called New Monasticism (though many of the individual who chose this lifestyle don’t know that). It is an attempt to be “missional”. Intentional salt and light in the community. Messages about Missional Churches
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