How this project is helping to revitalize Columbus neighborhoods through faith

After beating a 29-year addiction, Troy Gardner is back in Columbus helping others do the same.

His home is a part of Project Lifehouse — one of eight initiatives by Harvest Movement that aim to revitalize parts of the city through collaborative mission work.

Harvest Movement is a Columbus-based Christian nonprofit organization. Some of its other initiatives include Harvest Microchurch Network, Harvest Prayer Room and, most notably, Harvest Coffee Co.

Project Lifehouse fixes homes in low-income neighborhoods and allows families and individuals who want to serve their community through religious outreach to move in. In exchange for reduced rent, residents engage in ministry efforts and complete weekly service projects that meet people where they are.

“It’s a blessing to be able to give back because I spent 29 years on a crack addiction taking and taking and taking,” Gardner, who said he is now seven years clean, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Instead of give me, give me, give me, I get to help.”

Every day, Gardner and his wife walk around their Bradley Circle neighborhood asking people what they need and if they can pray for them. The couple also hosts a 12-step recovery program on Thursday nights.

Gardner said his experience connecting with the community has been a “godsend.” He and his wife have lived there for nearly a year and hope to remain there for years to come.

“It’s just been amazing,” he said. “The things that have happened since we’ve been here, the things that are going to happen, the things that the Lord’s got planned for us — it’s just amazing.”

Serving people where they are

Gardner’s house is one of four occupied by project members. Project Lifehouse director Andrew Cowart lives in another house near Veterans Parkway and Manchester Expressway.

He said Gardner’s work is a great example of the project’s goal to understand the specific needs of a community and bring the ministry of Jesus right to their doorstep.

“A big part of missional living is trying to integrate yourself into the community you’re serving and then figuring out, what does my community need? How can I offer it to them?” Cowart told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I would have missed out on so much over the last three years if I had just ministered from afar (instead) of getting to live it day in and day out.”

Cowart, who also does maintenance for all the properties, said no two of his days are alike. On some days, he meets new friends and holds prayer walks. On other days, he helps his neighbors work through struggles and grief.

“I want to see life spring up in this place. We’ve seen houses restored, properties restored, people restored and coming out of death and into life,” Cowart said. “The kingdom of God is my responsibility here, and so I’m gonna do what I can to usher that in and to be a part of inviting it into this place.”

Turning homes into missional beacons

Turning dilapidated homes into missional beacons is not an easy task.

According to the project’s development coordinator, Katherine Server, Harvest Movement acquired the first house in 2017 after Project Lifehouse’s founder, Andrew Chalmers, shared his idea with a real estate agent. They raised enough money to replace the kitchen and complete other repairs, and Chalmers and his family were the first to move in.

Since then, Project Lifehouse’s inventory has grown to 10 houses. Six of them have been flipped, and four are waiting for renovations, Server said.

Funding those renovations is another difficult task. Server said flipping a house costs $20,000-$30,000, and the initiative relies heavily on donor support. Harvest Movement is not an official ministry, so raising money can be slow.

Still, Server said the impact so far is worth the effort.

“It’s been such a unique opportunity to really unify the area,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We’ve just seen some special connections by having those (residents) planted around the city.”

The resident experience

Daesung Hong and his family recently moved into a third mission home in the Weracoba-St. Elmo area of Columbus. They applied to Project Lifehouse to get more mission experience before leaving for a long-term mission trip in Korea.

“We just both knew that God was leading us here,” Hong said about himself and his wife while speaking to the Ledger-Enquirer. “(We’ve had) such great support from the team and now the Harvest Movement family … and so we felt really included and connected. We also have the same mind for the kingdom.”

Residents fill out an application and interview with people from Project Lifehouse who make sure they are a good fit for the project and neighborhood. Residents sign one-year leases with the opportunity to continue living there.

The residents also participate in weekly check-ins to make sure they are on track with their ministry efforts and can get help if needed.

Hong said the move went better than expected, and he and his family of five already have met new people. He said he hopes to spread the love of Christ by modeling it for his new neighbors.

“We don’t have all the answers, but God has answers,” he said. “(We want to) be that support, but also share the love of God as we have been receiving that love in our own lives.”

How to be involved in Project Lifehouse

Those interested in donating or becoming a part of Project Lifehouse can visit harvestmovement.org/project-lifehouse.