A modern 484-unit housing neighborhood in North Charleston is a ripe mission field for South Carolina churches, says the multihousing ministry coordinator for Charleston Association.
Horizon Village opened in 2007 on the site of a demolished public housing development. Valerie Luedtke connects churches from beyond Charleston with local churches on mission at Horizon Village.
“I hear from a lot of churches that have a desire for missions, but just don’t know how to get started or how to do missions,” she said. “We have a huge number of multi-family communities here in the Charleston area. Horizon Village is amazing.”
Horizon Village is under the direction of the North Charleston Housing Authority and offers homes and rentals at market rates with low- to moderate-income assistance. “It is a cross-section of American housing,” Luedtke said. She points to two-story homes for purchase, government-subsidized housing, duplexes, and one-story and two-story apartments. There is also a specific area for adults age 62 and older.
What’s more, Horizon Village is open to missions.
“Elisha Flood leads the seniors in North Charleston, and she is ready to help any missions team that comes to town,” Luedtke said. “Recently, we had a group of Clemson students come to prayerwalk and then pray over and for people. A church sent a group of families for a mission project. I invited several of our pastors to be a part of that so they could see how easily we can access multihousing ministry.”
Luedtke requires that any missions team coming to Charleston work with a local church. This ensures that local relationships are built when the visiting team leaves the area. Smaller and larger block parties, prayerwalking, cookouts, and children’s ministries have taken root in Horizon Village and beyond. Local churches such as Friendship, Holmes Avenue, and Cooper River have responded to partnerships with groups coming to the Charleston area.
“Every town and every city has multihousing communities,” Luedtke said. “Everyone can be a part of multihousing ministry in their community; mission trips help churches learn how to do the ministry back at home.” – SCBC