Transformation is the church's business.

The project of improving the corner of Lombard and Hereford is finished! Our huge thanks to Prosper Portland for funding this project, and to Gather:Make:Shelter for dreaming it with us and bringing it to fruition. This corner tells a story. Formerly neglected, it was overhung with low branches and an old concrete block wall was crumbling. The sidewalk was cracked and the wheelchair entrance to Rankin Hall was unsafe due to root damage to the path and wall. This city corner is a gateway to a number of special organizations including St Andrew's, Hereford House Pantry, Tistilal Village, WeShine, and BRAVO Youth Orchestras, and we thought it deserved to look as great as the vibrant community it anchors. Our friends at Gather: Make:Shelter designed a beautiful boulder arrangement surrounded by native plants. They hired Jaycob, an emerging artist, to design a mural for the exterior building wall. Sadly, Jaycob went on hospice and died before the mural was finished. It brightens the space now as a memorial to him and to others who die young after living on the street. In a September 2025 episode of the podcast No Small Endeavor, Dr. Amy Sherman points to God's love of beauty and the church's role in magnifying what is beautiful in the world for the restoration of all creation. Also, God takes really awful things, like Jaycob's death, and turns them into something beautiful. Because God is good, this corner of North Portland is clean, alive, and resplendent for the safety and enjoyment of all beings who call this neighborhood home. Thanks be to God!