In our hearts we have a picture of the town and places that we grew up in. The paved black streets and the brick houses that supply our childhood with memories. Summer days that brought shorts, t-shirts, and the friendly ice-cream man. The greenest grass to lie on and the puffy white clouds that were held up in the sapphire blue sky. .
As we get older so do the objects and places around us. Eventually they all need to be rebuilt and remodeled. They need to be reshaped and reformed for them to meet the supply and demand put out before them. We all could see one of these places as well in our minds. A place that needs to be fixed up and beautified. .
The downtown, in my opinion, of Jackson has always needed a face lift. One of the places in particular is Mechanic Street. This street runs from Goodwill to St. Johns UCC and passes the Michigan Theater, St. Mary's, and the Toy House. This needs a face lift not just because of the falling houses and the bumpy roads but because of my history with the places along that stretch of road. .
Saint John's United Church of Christ was the church that I was born into. Before I was six months old, I was baptized there and two years ago I was confirmed as a member. I have participated in the youth group and helped with the children's Sunday school in the summer. It was where I grew up and one of the places that shaped me into whom I am now. .
In the last two years St. John's has been under construction. We decided as a church not to leave the neighborhood but to recreate our image. Since then we have built onto the church a multipurpose room two classrooms on the main floor, three in the basement, an office for the pastor, an office for the director, an office for the NAACP, and senior care rooms. Our church has received a face lift from Head Start and from the congregation in order to provide better help for the community. .
This face lift added more potential and more hope for the surrounding community.