Vision for the Community on Steroids

Over the last several years, we have done an art exhibition at Hope. This past year we turned it into a coffeehouse with music AND art. One of our main goals was to bless artists and give the community a culturally enriching experience. Besides allowing the plethora of Home-owner's Associations to meet in the church, we OUGHT to be doing things that would make the neighborhood sad if we ceased to exist.

A church up in St. Louis basically took that vision and ran with it. It's kind of like our vision at Hope on steroids (of course the legal kind, with a prescription...).

Here's what I'm talking about.

It’s Saturday night in St. Louis, Mo. A crowd gathers at a hot new venue for music, art and theater that’s unapologetically named The Chapel and sponsored by Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Tonight a punk band is playing. It could just as easily be an indie, acoustic, rock, folk or experimental group. The Chapel has featured all of these plus artists and theater groups.

The people arriving are the young and hip. Urban dwellers. Students at Washington University. Internationals. Gays. In short, people in the creative classes, the unreached populations near the church—those who Memorial set out to influence in the city by serving it. And serve it they do.

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