This week, through the inspiration of Noelle Beck, the executive director at First Glance, multiple churches, organizations, and people have been praying for Kenmore. Praying for revival. Praying for our students. Praying for our leaders. Praying for our businesses. Just about everything and anything to do with Kenmore.
At the same time, I went to the Kenmore Board of Trade meetings, and the business owners there have been inspired to revitalize Kenmore Blvd by putting up a clock tower, maybe putting awnings on the businesses, and a business open house for the vacant buildings on Kenmore Blvd.
Kenmore is changing.
All of this energy has got me inspired and feeling energized about the state of our small burg. First Glance and its partner churches are working on the spiritual aspect, while the business owners work on the economic aspect.
I'm excited about this, to say the least.
What does a revitalized and renewed Kenmore look like? Is it a thriving Blvd? Churches bursting with parishioners? Less crime and drugs?
Here is one Reverends view on what a new Kenmore looks like.
The Boulevard:
Ah, Kenmore Boulevard. Once the place of only lost youth and a few bus riders, it is now a place where families come to have lunch, go to the library, and visit the park. I see new restaurants with seating out front on the sidewalk. With the trees in full bloom, I see couples laying on a blanket in the park with a small picnic, while groups of kids play tag and swing on the swings.
The multiple junk stores have given way to open air coffee shops with singer/song writers playing music in a corner. The check cashing store is replaced by niche shop, selling locally made crafts and music. Nearby, a man with a thick, graying beard sells gourmet hot dogs.
No longer does one just walk down the Blvd to get to where one is going, but to simply relax and take in the views, the smells, and the people who now inhabit our main street.
The Schools:
Ask any of our students what they think of Kenmore High School and they will probably say "It sucks." Soon, though, we'll have a new school. Not a new building or even renovations, but a school filled with revitalized teachers, parents with sincere concern for their children, and students who truly want to learn.
Our football team is competitive with Coach Peltz at the helm and our new, lighted, stadium is packed every Friday night with students and adults ready to see Kenmore take the City Series and move on to States.
Local businesses, who see the benefit of having a thriving school, now invest time and money into programs and awards for students who achieve and put money towards programs to help those who are struggling.
Kenmore High School is now a magnet school for the Arts and Sciences - with a waiting list for students eager to attend.
The Churches:
No longer constrained by old ideas of protectionism and theological axes to grind, the Church in Kenmore reaches out to the entire community with the hope of Christ. Churches send out missionaries into the community with the command to love as Christ loved, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in jail, and giving everlasting water to the thirsty.
Deciding that unity is more important than division, the church comes together regularly to pray for our leaders, youth, adults, and everything in between regularly.
Because of this, the Holy Spirit has a visible, undeniable presence in all that happens.
The People:
The people of the community, now inspired by all that is happening and what can be done, flourish. Civic groups are now flush with volunteers and new ones pop up regularly. No project is understaffed as volunteers come out in droves.
Neighborhoods look beautiful as people band together to beautify and take care of all the properties. Housing values are high and no home sits empty for more than a few weeks.
Ward meetings are packed as people are now very interested in what is happening in their community and want to be apart of the process.
Yes, I am dreaming. But I don't think much of what I wrote here is very far fetched or hard to imagine. All it takes is for a few people to inspire others, and for those people to spread the fire further.
Kenmore is my home and I will always love it, for better or for worse. But as one who has been through the worst, I'm excited to see the better.
The Rev.
