Lydia is back! This year she will be serving as the Love Wins and Life in the City intern! She attended THP for the first time in 2014, and this is her second year interning. We are so excited to have her back and cant wait for you to learn more about her! Lydia (far left) on THP // 2014 Lydia is about to graduate from Southington High School as valedictorian and will be attending MIT in the fall. Lydia // 2017
She loves worship jam sessions with her friends and baking yummy treats to share and eat. Lydia baking with her friend Lydia loved being able to intern last year while still participating with her team and is excited to do the same thing this summer! Lydia (holding umbrella) with her team at Love Wins last year // 2017 Say “hi” to Lydia if you see her during the outreach weeks! Written by Christina Perreault
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Next I will be introducing myself! My name is Christina Perreault, and as this summer’s communications intern, I have the chance to introduce you to all our interns through this blog series! This is my second year interning with The Hartford Project and my seventh year involved with the summer outreach weeks. Christina advertising a free car wash during her first year of THP // 2012 I just graduated from The Master’s School this year and will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall. I am excited to see what God has planned for my future. Christina // 2017
I cannot wait to see what this summer entails! Written by Christina Perreault
Hello! In this blog post series, I will introduce you to this summer’s interns. We’re excited to welcome back two returning interns and three new interns! Each of these hard-working interns will be managed by our incredible intern supervisor. The interns are so excited for the summer! This year Alexa Carlson will serve in this important supervisor position. Alexa grew up in Wintonbury Church and has had a devout love for God from a young age. She just graduated from Liberty University this past May with a degree in Business Admin with a focus in International Business! One day, she hopes to start her own humanitarian aid business. Alexa! Alexa first participated in The Hartford Project in 2010, the summer before her freshman year of high school. She loved her experience. “It really opened my eyes to the city of Hartford, that there is need in Hartford. It pulled me out of my comfort zone,” said Alexa. Alexa serving during her first Summer Outreach Week in 2010. Alexa’s favorite color is purple. She loves to eat cheez-it crackers and drink coffee with friends. Alexa (left) enjoying some coffee with her friend. As a former student and leader, Alexa is excited about helping THP this summer in a new role. She cannot wait to meet you all during the summer outreach weeks! Alexa (middle row, second from to right), with her team, serving at THP as a leader in 2016. You can support Alexa's position by choosing "summer staff" in the below link and donating! Post written by Christina Perreault
2017 has been a year of great blessings and growth at The Hartford Project (THP). We ran two Summer Outreach Weeks and our third annual FallServe Weekend Outreach. During these events, we served 390 participants from 27 different churches – including ten new churches! Students from these churches partnered together to serve with over 20 local non-profits and ministries, engaged questions of social injustice, prayed over our city, and grew in their relationships with God and one another. This year, THP hired Jacquelyn Perreault as the organization’s first full-time Program Director and filed as a non-profit organization. Having a full-time Program Director has enabled us to reach out to new churches, inviting them to experience and share God’s love in Hartford! We also implemented smaller Sub-Committees within our Planning Team – better valuing everyone’s time and talents and doubling the size of our Planning Team from fifteen to thirty members. This allowed our teams to provide better programs for our students and increased church collaboration - with sixteen churches represented on our 2017 Planning Team. As we reflect on this year, we are overwhelmed by God’s goodness and faithfulness in this season. And as we look towards 2018, we are excited for all God will accomplish as His Church continues to unite together to experience and share God’s love in Hartford! As THP continues to grow, we also face new challenges and increased costs. Your end-of-year donation will help us finish the year strong, and allow for even greater ministry opportunities in 2018. As someone who has witnessed the impact of THP in your family, church, or community, would you consider partnering with THP by making a one-time donation, setting up a recurring donation, or joining our prayer team? We are excited to see how your increased partnership will enable The Hartford Project to further inspire unity in the Church while blessing the Hartford community! Thank you!
HARTFORD CITY MISSION CHRISTMAS STORE: NEW & UNWRAPPED TOYS Wondering how you can give more than a toy this season? Through Hartford City Mission (HCM)'s Christmas Store you can give the gift of joy and dignity to the whole family! So how's it work? You donate new, unwrapped gifts and HCM sets up a huge Christmas store - with a variety of toys - all marked at tag sale prices! Parents have the opportunity to choose gifts their kids will love AND proceeds help subsidize the students' overnight summer camp. Last year, there were 1,500 toys in the Christmas Store, and the store raised $2,000 for overnight camp! GIVE TODAY Where: Glory Chapel, 221 Greenfield Street, Hartford When: Monday-Friday, through December 4th* *Call Danielle (860.246.0132) to schedule a drop-off time. The Model: Re-Thinking Christmas GivingWe think the Christmas store model is pretty great, and worth sharing. As HCM will tell you, they borrowed the idea from Bob Lupton at Focused Community Strategies in Atlanta, GA. Check out the video below to learn why - and how - they re-thought Christmas giving. Check Back Next Week For #GIvingTuesdaySPARROW MINISTRIES: HATS, GLOVES, SCARVES, AND COATS
GIVE TODAY Where: South Church, 277 Main Street, Hartford When: Tuesday, November 14 - Friday, November 17 from 8 AM - 3 PM* *Please contact us if you would like to schedule a different drop-off time or location. CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK FOR A NEW GIVING CHALLENGE!
CITADEL OF LOVE'S ANNUAL TURKEY DRIVE
GIVE TODAY Where: The Citadel of Love, 167 Barbour Street, Hartford When: November 7, from 6-7 PM* *Donations are being accepted through November 16 - contact us to schedule a different drop-off time or location. CHECK BACK EACH WEEK FOR A NEW GIVING CHALLENGE!
To give well is to love well. And why do we love? We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:19-21 Loving God and loving our neighbor are inextricably connected. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: Matthew 25:34-40 Who is overlooked in our community? Who is ignored in our city?
In this holiday season there's much to be thankful for; there's much love to be shared; there are many gifts to give and receive; there are many meals to cook and delicious food to be eaten; there are many parties to attend with family and friends. Yet, your shopping list and your to-do list may feel overwhelming. Your budget may be tight. Anxiety and busyness may have stolen the place of joy and peace in your heart. Let's claim back the season. Let's remember God's greatest gift of all - His Son, our Savior. WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US. How can we love one another this season? Can we feed the hungry? Clothe the shivering? Welcome the homeless? #GivingTuesday is a worldwide movement, celebrated the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Every week leading up to #GivingTuesday, THP will be announcing one new giving challenge! Our hope is that these weekly giving challenges will provide simple ways for you to bless our community - not adding to the stress of the season - but returning to the joy found when we love God and love our neighbor. God’s calling for me to intern at THP this summer was so clear from the beginning. When I applied for this internship, my life was tremendously in need of a spiritual revival – especially after the many challenges I had faced, and had yet to face, during my junior year of high school. I began the summer knowing that I could not let this internship be just another program for my resume like those that many of my peers were doing, but instead it had to be wholly devoted to focusing on God, my relationship with Him, and serving His kingdom. My initial expectation for my Life in the City and Administration internship was that it would be essentially the same as being a participant, just over an extended time period. What I did not expect was the sheer number of phone calls made, Excel spreadsheets filled, storage boxes moved, and much, much more that went into making the two outreach weeks successful. During the outreach weeks, the interns often skipped participant activities to set up tables, greet speakers, or prepare the next activity. All of these factors took me aback at first because I had never experienced a mission trip where I was constantly busy with tasks that were generally more mundane than the participant activities. However, I believe that God put this new experience in front of me so that I could learn that serving other Christians is also vital to serving Him. Sometimes, God calls us to serve Him by serving those around us so that they, in turn, are able to serve Him. Although more indirect (and possibly less glamorous), it is still a very necessary part of being a servant of Christ. God used these experiences to develop a servant’s heart within me, which has increased my appreciation for the dedication of the THP staff, and the staff of every other mission trip, because so much effort and faith are required to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the participants. For a large part of junior year and especially in the weeks leading up to my internship, I had been struggling with a dry season in my faith; it seemed as if God wasn’t present in my life and I couldn’t hear Him no matter how much I cried out to Him in prayer. I felt as if the fiery passion that I once had for Jesus had been extinguished, leaving me in a scary state of abandonment and confusion. Going into THP Week One, I felt inadequate as an intern because I was not feeling that connection with God that I desperately needed – How could I possibly be qualified or deserving of a role that required so much leadership and a strong faith in God? As I watched many of the kids from my own youth group experience God personally I was encouraged and overjoyed for them, but at the same time I felt overwhelmed by my own inability to feel God in my heart and to experience the emotions and revelations that my friends were experiencing. When the feeling of inadequacy became unbearable, I poured out my inability to feel God and the resulting incompetency to my pastor; he reminded me of having faith in God’s ultimate plan and prayed for God’s grace to let the dry season pass. Though I was still unsure of where my faith stood by the end of Week One, I was undeniably filled with a peace that I didn’t even realize was missing before. It assured me that God was still present in my life even if I couldn’t feel Him. All Christians go through variable phases in their faith, from dry seasons to times of spiritual highs, that do not define whether they are a good or bad Christian or how adequate they are for serving the Lord. Throughout the next few weeks and during THP Week Two, I gradually realized that God can use His children in any stage of their faith to do His work and that it is possible to feel at peace and have faith in God’s presence even during dry seasons. Another factor that the THP ministry has made me realize, especially as a Life in the City intern, is the immense beauty of Hartford. Growing up in a very suburban community, there is often a stigma that Hartford is just a hopeless city that you probably shouldn’t go into unless you really have to. However, working with THP has opened my eyes not only to the physical beauty of our capital city but also the beauty of its culture and community. The people of Hartford are full of compassion and love, and many of them have a hope and desire to see Hartford changed for the better. The more time I spent in the city, the more I fell in love with Hartford. One of the most striking aspects of THP is the strong community that it never fails to foster. As a participant, I always feel so connected to the other believers in the room, regardless of which church they are from, as we all worship the same God and strive towards a common end goal together. As an intern, there is such a tight and supportive bond amongst the staff as we pray for and encourage each other. Even though we all come from dozens of different churches with varying cultural backgrounds, our faith in Jesus bonds us together as one Church that has set out to serve His Kingdom. Above all, this internship was so much fun and an amazing opportunity to just watch God work! It was wonderfully fulfilling to be able to serve with the other interns, form friendships with them, and simply deepen my faith. I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would about serving others and about the city of Hartford. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to meet some of the strongest, most faithful men and women in Christ, from the speakers to the other THP staff to the participants, and to see how God specifically and beautifully uses their lives as a testimony to His grace. This internship was an unforgettable experience that’s helped me better understand the complete immensity of God’s love and power. I realize that not every aspect of this post reflects an effortlessly connected summer – it jumps around quite a bit as my experiences have been so widely varied, but I think that this jumble of thoughts mirrors how God often works in us. The events in our lives may be random, messy, or overwhelming, but in the end they are all related and even intertwined by God’s power. This internship has been an affirmation that God is faithful even when I am not, and that no matter how broken I am God can still work through me. Post written by Lydia Yu.
My time as a Discipleship and Communication Intern for The Hartford Project was such a fulfilling experience that exceeded my expectations. I learned so much about myself and God through this internship, and I grew such a passion and heart for the city of Hartford! At the beginning, I thought it would be an exciting way to spend my summer, grow in my communication skills, and serve the Lord with others, but I had no idea it would have such an impact on me too. The Lord taught me and grew me in so many ways, and he often did this by using other people in my life during THP- whether that be other interns, leaders, or even people I got to pray for in Hartford. I got a glimpse of God’s heart for people this summer, and through that, I have grown so much. A lot of my responsibilities this summer put me in a place of leadership. As the Discipleship Intern, many of my tasks revolved around the morning and evening sessions. I got the opportunity to reach out to some amazing speakers and worship artists who would share with our students during the two weeks of THP. During the main sessions I had opportunities to give announcements, encourage kids to share testimonies, welcome and introduce our speakers, pray over the participants, and lead the students into times of response. Each morning, I also got to develop and lead devotions for team leaders from our various participating churches. Being put in those places of leadership was an incredible opportunity that stretched me further than I imagined. It was also so exciting to be able to share the goodness of God with others in a space filled with people so eager for His presence. Sterling, who oversees discipleship, gave me generous room to lead and grow. He encouraged me and helped me realize God is all about grace instead of perfection. That was a great example of empowering leadership to me- because he gave me space to grow in a place where he could have run everything himself. I was also greatly influenced by the interns and other people I worked with. Serving behind the scenes is no small task- it’s a lot of work. Especially during the two weeks of THP, there is so much going on- it seriously feels like it’s a whole summer crammed into four days! This builds a lot of unity because everybody really has to work together. I formed relationships with the people around me, and I loved the sense of community and unity that I felt, even with people I only spoke to a few times. That’s one thing I love so much about THP- the unity. This unity is what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like, and it’s beautiful to witness and be a part of. I was able to talk to some amazing people during THP. Some of those people I connected with at block parties or worksites, and some of them were students and leaders participating in THP. Spending time with all different people- whether that be urban, suburban or just different denominations- opened my eyes to how much diversity is essential to the kingdom of God. I also really loved the city of Hartford and all of the diversity found there. I realized so much about loving others this summer in Hartford, because I got to experience the beauty of everyone being different. We aren’t all meant to be exactly the same, and that gives freedom to be completely real and form relationships with a lot of incredible people. I was continually inspired by the testimonies and stories of those around me, and I began to have a heart for all people- even those I barely knew. What started off as a simple volunteer internship this summer, ended up being so much more than that. I definitely grew in a lot of practical skills- such as learning different softwares, being comfortable speaking in front of many people each day, and doing different administrative tasks. However, one of my main goals during this internship was to not get so caught up in the tasks I had to do that I missed what God was doing and saying, and I think I was able to achieve that goal most days. I left this summer internship very inspired and filled up with encouragement, and ready to continue to pour out His love to those around me. Post written by Jenna Adendorff.
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December 2021
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