December 17, 2018
Christ stands at the door: an Advent reflection
In the midst of this Advent season, I am reminded of the words of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Advent sermon 90 years ago: “One day, at the last judgment, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: “Come, you blessed,…I was hungry and you fed me… (Matt. 25:34). To the astonished question of when and where, he answered: “What you did to the least of...
October 30, 2018
Our response to the NYT article on Charlottesville Schools
At Abundant Life we are committed to neighborhood-based ministry that reflects Jesus’ own incarnational life. For us, this has involved living among, learning from, and investing in the lives of those in closest proximity to us. Yet these relationships with individuals and families in the Prospect Neighborhood inevitably connect us with larger issues in our city and country that directly affect...
September 2, 2018
Reflection from our Director: Summer 2018
At Abundant Life this summer has been a season of both excitement and expectancy. On the one hand, we have been excited about how God’s grace has allowed us to take major steps as a ministry, including a successful "Art of Building Community" benefit dinner and the purchase of additional property in our neighborhood. Yet these types of steps have also cultivated a deeper sense of expectancy at...
August 8, 2018
As August 12 Approaches: A Letter from the Director
Dear Friends, As the anniversary of the tragic events of August 12 approaches, something I have sensed among people in Charlottesville, as well as in me, is the anxiety of uncertainty. Many of us find ourselves wrestling with a myriad of questions. What is going to happen? How do we prepare for the unknown? What will the next few days reveal? How do we move forward? While only God knows the...
August 17, 2017
Shining Light in the Darkness: A Response to August 12
Dear Abundant Life Family and Friends, We are sure you have seen or heard horrifying accounts of this past weekend’s hate-inspired demonstrations in our city by neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and the Ku Klux Klan. Our friends and neighbors are still reporting harassment by those who have lingered or make their home here. These actions have hit very close to home for us, and not just...