The Eden Project

The Eden Project is growing. Literally. Around our city, they have begun to take lawns in urban neighborhoods and utilize them as fruit, vegetables and herb gardens to produce food for the needy and meal sites in Tampa. Working in collaboration with the Lake House they have a composting co-op of 10 houses who collect compost to create the soil for the garden network. They hope to raise awareness of the importance of local agriculture. For the Eden Project these gardens are not just a hobby, they are a way of life and they are essential to reducing the environmental and social impact of the globalization of our food. You can support the Eden Project and learn more about turning your lawn into a productive garden by visiting here.

Hamburg Underground

They’ve been working hard learning the language and culture of a new country, finding housing and work, making friends, meeting their community. And these few months have been a series of firsts. They were able to host their first outreach. An open mic night that brought 35+ people into a small venue to showcase several artists in Wilhelmsburg. Musicians shared their music and the walls were lined with several paintings. And maybe the most important thing that was shared was the love of Jesus. The team was able to engage the audience in conversations about their faith and even invite some of the attendees to their upcoming first house church meeting. And on Palm Sunday, they gathered as a house church for the first time. They shared a meal, their stories and prayer. As they reflected on Jesus coming into Jerusalem, they were able to reflect on how Jesus has made an entrance into their own lives.
Yes, there were many firsts. But what is most exciting is they are not the end. It was the first outreach of many to come. The first house church meeting in the first house with many more meetings and houses to come. It is the beginning of something amazing in Hamburg.

The Timothy Initiative

Their church is home to 15 to 20 men each week. Men who have found themselves stuck in a web of addiction and even though some have completed a rehab program, they don’t know how to continue to rebuild their lives. They are now using 3 houses to provide a home for men who are a part of the group. And their micro businesses are growing almost beyond what they can staff. Hundreds of t-shirts are being printed each week through their screen printing business. Hours and hours of contracting work fixing up houses. Other odd jobs around the city. Men are finding more than just something to do in place of their addiction. They’re finding a community of people who understand them, love them and believe they can be more than their addiction. They’re finding work which is restoring their dignity and their drive to continue to grow. But most importantly they’re finding Jesus. They’re learning he’s their only hope for beating an addiction that has held them captive for years. They’re finding freedom.

Seven Days

“In the beginning, God created....”
The idea of art is nothing new to God. He is the original creator. Unfortunately, so much of the art world has left little room for Christian artists to honor God with their art. As a community, we were excited to host SevenDays: Conscious Arts Experience. Over 100 Christian artists came and showcased their art over 7 days at the Hub. Each night honored a different discipline. From visual artists, to poets, musicians and songwriters, hip hop artists and dancers, the Hub was overtaken by displays of art. And it was beautiful. We took seven days to remember how our creator formed us. Seven days to honor him with our creations. There were 200 to 300 people in the Hub every night remembering creation too. The Underground Artist Collective worked hard, and inspired new artists to emerge and to honor God with the things they create.

Manila Underground

In 2007, one community left Tampa to live in Manila for 9 months and learn what it means to share Jesus with those on the margins. They spent 9 months watching local missionaries plant churches in the poorest slums in Manila, and it was there during that time that the Underground was formed.
So it seems fitting that the Underground is now returning to Manila to launch a new movement of micro churches in Manila. In February, we hosted a 3 day training with the leaders of this new movement. We travelled through the city and prayed for God to show us the area he would want us to begin working in. We ended up in a slum across the street from a university. And that is where we have begun. Getting to know the community, sharing Jesus and launching house churches. The team is excited and working hard. And we’re excited to hear the stories of Jesus being shared in Manila.

Haiti Underground

The Haiti Underground team has been working hard in Ca-ira to continue to rebuild the city after the destruction from the earthquakes last year. The team traveled there in February to meet with the engineers who would be taking on the project of building a new multipurpose covered facility. They were met by a group of young leaders committed to educating and working with the youth to improve the future of their community. The team was excited to hear that the decisions by being for the community were being made BY the community. But what was most encouraging was the ability to meet with the mayor of Leogane. The leaders were able to arrange the meeting with him and the mayor was clear that it was the work of that team that got his time and attention and got the community together. He not only encouraged the work, but provided a better plot of land than what was originally going to be used. They are working hard and making progress. It’s taking time, but we know that Jesus is working. And we’re excited to see more doors open for the team to work in Haiti.

Micro church Videos

You can check out our channel on YouTube to see videos of our micro churches that were featured earlier this year:
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