“Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Not gonna lie, I throw up in my mouth a little bit when I hear that expression. But I cringe because it’s so corny, not because it’s wrong. In fact, the heart of that cliché is spot on:
to accomplish the most important things
in our lives, our neighborhood, our world,
we must do them together.
A huge highlight for Flourish over the past few years has been witnessing this truth play out in real time. Churches reach out to us for various reasons and looking for various things from us. While some churches realize they need to do something different with their building but don’t even know where to start, others already possess a compelling vision—one that has long been fermenting and simply needs a few more teammates on board to help the dream become a reality.
One of the most beautiful examples of this has been with our friends at Brookdale Covenant Church and their pastor, Peter Frost. Located at perhaps the most vital intersection in Brooklyn Center, Brookdale Cov is a stone’s throw away from the former Brookdale Center mall, which after closing housed a Wal-Mart, only for the Wal-Mart to also depart within the past year. Those closings reflect the ways that Brooklyn Center’s infrastructure is struggling to find its identity and a path toward thriving in the midst of changing realities.
However, through it all Brookdale Cov has remained a faithful presence in their community. Reflecting on the vacuum these departures created, Peter glimpsed a vision for how their building could become a vital and vibrant hub for their Brooklyn Center neighbors. As that vision gained clarity, Peter knew they couldn’t go it alone—Brookdale Cov needed partners to help them turn this vision into reality. We’re stoked that we’ve been invited into the project and while the plan is still in development, there is big-time traction and growing excitement about what God is doing.
While no one can predict the impact of this particular project in this particular community, we can say with certainty that it takes a team to make dreams this big become a reality. And, as seen with Brookdale Covenant Church, it takes a church who is committed to being a good neighbor and a faithful presence in their community—even (and especially) when others seem to be bailing.
We are forever grateful for pastors like Peter, churches like Brookdale Cov, and for opportunities to partner with them in this good work.
Better together,
