The Neighborhood House

An excerpt from...

The Neighborhood House

By Chris Amberman, American Indian Field
July-September 2014

It’s just a tidy little stucco house settled in a generally rough-and-tumble-looking neighborhood. It’s not fancy inside or out. Many people drive by it every day, never knowing it has any significance. Nobody even lives in this house! Yet God has been using it for the last 10 years to teach kids about His kingdom.

This little house, known as The Neighborhood House, is home to the Neighborhood Club, a Christian after-school program in Kirtland, New Mexico. Every week, kids from kindergarten through high school meet there to eat, play, and learn about Jesus.

The Neighborhood Club was birthed from the fear of a missionary mom for her children who had been moved to a new place and a new culture, and also the heartbreak of seeing so many children wandering about with nothing to do and no one seeming to care. The neighborhood children were invited to come to this house to enjoy games, snacks, and stories one day a week for an entire summer. When school started again, the kids begged to keep coming, and so it has continued to this day. Those original kids are now in their 20s and the club has continued, adding other age groups to include siblings and others who wanted to come. Right now about 30 children are involved with the Neighborhood Club each week, coming from every school in Kirtland.

Recently The Neighborhood House has also begun to be used as the home of a ladies group called WHO, Women Helping Others. WHO was formed to give women a positive place to meet new friends, learn new skills, and help their community through projects and acts of service.

Also, a group of local pastors are meeting in The Neighborhood House once a month to fellowship and pray and seek ways to serve their community. They planned and organized the first-ever Kirtland Community Sunrise Service held on Easter morning at the local high school football field.

Soon a sign will be erected outside The Neighborhood House announcing its presence and stating its purpose to serve the people of Kirtland. Please pray that the people of this community will welcome and embrace The Neighborhood House, but even more importantly, the Master of the House, King Jesus.

GO: To learn more about the outreach ministries of the American Indian Field, visit www.wgm.org/aif.