[CLICK HERE for first installment.]
[CLICK HERE for second installment.]
Soon after the launch of Central United Methodist Church’s homeless ministry, a developer approached Central’s minister at the time, Rev. Richard Cobb, proposing to build a high rise where the ground floor was a church and preschool and the upper levels condos.
The developer’s offer captured our attention, and in July 2007 a building committee formed from the congregation to explore the idea. The initial discussion about building occurred at the same time as our Friday morning breakfast partnership with the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN) was launching.
Another discussion taking place in Arlington was around the growing need for affordable housing. Arlington real estate costs had skyrocketed, pricing out moderate income families who worked in education, health care, government and other mid level jobs important to everyday life. The discussion about affordable housing became more urgent and was an issue felt by the young adults and families attending Central.
These key moments and evolving conversations marked the convergence of our calling to serve the local homeless and a way to answer the demand for affordable housing. We could fully support the needs we felt compelled to answer using the two resources we had, a convenient location and vertical space.
The offer presented an opportunity, sparking a dream that would take us through nearly two decades of work and expanding vision.
In 2014 Rev. Richard Cobb retired and Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen was appointed to serve at Central United Methodist Church with the specific task of continuing to lead the congregation through the development and construction process.
Like all complex projects, the journey had challenges: developing a design to incorporate many needs in a single acre site, securing financing, planning to build immediately adjacent to a Metro tunnel, and honoring the rich history of the property while embracing the congregation’s vision. What followed were years of building committee meetings slowly moving forward toward realization of Central’s dream all the while keeping the Friday morning breakfast growing.
But suddenly, everything shut down in March 2020.
[CLICK HERE for final installment.]
