Why:
When I started brainstorming passion projects for Clendenin, I tried to really dig deep. It’s easy to have big dreams that are somewhat unattainable.
Should we do a flood wall? -No, that’s for a bigger agency, like, Army Corp of Engineers to attain, along with the millions of dollars to complete… not Next Step Ministries with a slightly smaller budget.
Should I focus on a certain project? I didn’t have one that God has been continually placing on my heart, and from past experience I knew that if that was the way I should go, He would guide me that way.
So eventually I came to this question: What do I dream of for Clendenin?
I dream of a town that loves one another and is knit together with unity and love for their neighbors. Isn’t that what we dream of for all communities?
This process has been years in the making in Clendenin. This town has existed long before Next Step arrived, and will exist long after we leave. So how can we be part of the process? By using our platform to advance unity in Clendenin.
What is it?
Each Friday night of the summer there will be a different activity to participate in for the neighbors in Clendenin, WV. The schedule will look a little something like this.
| Date | Activity | |
| June 7th | Food Truck Friday | |
| June 14th | Movie | |
| June 21st | Homecoming | |
| June 28th | Homemade Pie Contest | |
| July 5th | Emergency Management/4th Celebration | |
| July 12th | Mac and Cheese Cook-Off | |
| July 19th | Clendenin Car Wash | |
| July 26th | Movie | |
| August 2nd | Tournament / Bouncy Houses | |
I wanted to make sure that this project was growing and stretching us to work hard, but also make sure we gave each other a break some weeks, so I made sure to switch up the theme of each night to create different interaction opportunities. For instance, on our homemade pie contest night, neighbors have to interact. They have to show up, or there will be no contest night. But on other evenings like Movie night, they can just attend or drop off their kids/grandkids to enjoy a fun night that didn’t take any preparation on their part.
This project won’t take much money, but I have dreams to match dollars if you feel led to give to our community events.
Actual Cost: The actual cost of these events might be $200 or so. Just enough to buy supplies like plates, forks, and maybe some fun prizes for our winners of contests.
Dream Cost: If donations are given in the $1,000 range, we will look to create t-shirts that we will be able to offer volunteers on our trips, as well as community members that are apart of the summer series. Our sponsors will be located on the back of the shirt if approved, and we will use proceeds from the t-shirt sales to contribute towards finishing the bathroom facility at Clendenin Little League Field.
How can you contribute?
1st – I’ll ask for a specific and quirky contribution. Do you or your church have an item you’d like to donate as a prize? To have folks from all over the country supporting this town has always been one of our favorite parts of summer missions. If you want more info on how to support in a specific way – please send me an email @ Hannah.Trautwein@nextstepministries.com and I would love to brainstorm more with you!
2nd – Click this link nextstepministries.com/donate and choose Clendenin, WV as your donation location! Again, if you would like your donation to be used towards something specific, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know.
I am so excited for the ways God will lead us to new friendships this summer. Thank you for being a part of the process in Clendenin, WV!
