Annual Memorial Day Cookout!
Posted: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Filed under: 2k13 | Tags: community, cookout, Memorial Day, RVA, Southern Barton Heights Comments Off on Annual Memorial Day Cookout!Hope to see you at our Annual Memorial Day Cookout!!!
Front Porch Challenge – Need Some Help!
Posted: Friday, April 5, 2013 Filed under: 2k13 | Tags: community, front porch, missional, Northside, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights 2 CommentsLouis and I undoubtedly have THE. BEST. wrap-around front porch ever. Best view of the best neighborhood. EVER. Now that the weather has warmed up, we will find ourselves out there every chance we can get. We refer to it as our front porch ministry. Since we live at an intersection with quite a bit of foot traffic, we get to meet a ton of our neighbors just by sitting outside chillin’ with a drink in hand greeting our friends and neighbors. Sometimes we have music…and Louis and I have been known to dance as well. 🙂 We have created a ton of a unforgettable memories of on that porch as well.
We also have the happiest, best dogs ever. Bella and Wesley love the porch just as much as we do, and we LOVE to have them with us. Wesley, the nearly 15 year old black lab, is not our worry. Bella, the 8-9 year old almost chocolate lab, might as well be 2. With all the feral cats around, she will bound off the porch before you know it, which doesn’t make for a very peaceful night when we are constantly saying…No, Bella. And we find ourselves a bit more stressed than we need to be.
So, here’s the challenge. Note in the pictures below the set up of our porch. We need a creative, tasteful, inexpensive, simple, portable, easy-to-store, way to contain the dogs on the porch while we are out there. You might say…simple! Get a leash. Well…not so simple. Bella will chew through it in about 10 seconds flat – which won’t end up being very inexpensive after we replace it over and over again.
So, any ideas???
happiest best dogs ever
the entrance – steps
across the street
from the front to the left
from the front to the right
from the side
LouDawg Does It Again!
Posted: Friday, June 1, 2012 Filed under: 2k12 | Tags: barton heights, Birthday, community, cookout, grilled chicken, Memorial Day, Movement Church, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights Comments Off on LouDawg Does It Again!As usual, LouDawg’s Grilled Chicken (about 80 lbs!!!) was a huge hit at our Annual Community Memorial Day Cookout for Southern Barton Heights. Although we’ve done this for years, we just started tracking numbers. 3 years ago, we had about 40 people. Last year, we hosted about 60. I was super surprised and thrilled when about 100 people showed up over the 4 hours! I couldn’t have been happier! It was a great time of getting to know our neighbors and friends.
We were thrilled when we connected with a small group from Movement Church who sacrificed their time to help us! They were amazing! Not only did they bring side dishes, but they also came early to help set up. They organized games for the kids in our neighbor’s yard….because when we had a ton of people in the yard, it got a little tight, needless to say. Our total yard is only .14 of an acre, so the back yard is 1/2 of that. And then…the guys, TC and Matt, hung out to help us tear down, along with Chucky, David and Khalil. Our neighbors were great…contributing to the meal, helping to clean up afterwards, etc. Brian, Christy and Joy were AMAZING in the kitchen!
I have mixed feelings about the day. On one hand I was sad, when I heard someone warmly say, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. This is great!” Another new friend said, “I’ve been longing for a sense of community in our neighborhood, and now…I think I finally feel that.” as she connected with neighbors she had never met. Why sad? Because my neighbors have been hungry for community, and haven’t felt it. On the other hand, I’m also thrilled because we are moving in the right direction. Less of us will be disconnected, but now will feel a since of warmth, love and community.
I look forward to continue moving in that direction… As we attempt to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Enjoy the pictures of the day. I guess I should note that we also celebrate my birthday (5.31) each year as well. I was overwhelmed when my old and new friends joined in singing “Happy Birthday to you” in the traditional tune….and then, in the Stevie Wonder style! Thanks to everyone for making my early birthday so special. And…go ahead….mark the day on your calendar for next year when I turn the big 5-0! 🙂
Annual Memorial Day Community Cookout
Posted: Thursday, May 24, 2012 Filed under: 2k12 | Tags: community, cookout, Memorial Day, RVA, Southern Barton Heights Comments Off on Annual Memorial Day Community CookoutThrilled to host our annual Memorial Day Community Cookout on Monday, May 28th from 4-8pm. We’ll provide the drinks and grilled chicken courtesy of LouDawg’s Cafe and Grill (aka Louis). If you can, just bring a side to go with it! Looking forward to seeing all who can come! Here’s the post from last year’s cookout… Memorial Day 2011.
Great Reasons to Come To MC This Thursday
Posted: Monday, July 25, 2011 Filed under: 2k11 | Tags: community, fun, GoAnimate, missional Comments Off on Great Reasons to Come To MC This ThursdayWoke up way too early this morning…and thought I would play around a little bit. Some of you have asked what we do at Missional Community. This is poking fun at our group. One of the things we definitely like to do is LAUGH! and have fun. Click the link below.
Great Reasons to come to MC this week by missmartishouse
Contact us if you want to learn more about Missional Communities.
Gathering of Northside Saints
Posted: Sunday, September 26, 2010 Filed under: 2k10, Community Announcements | Tags: community, fellowship, missional, Northside, prayer, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights 1 CommentRepost…
It’s not too late to attend….RSVP not required!
There’s no doubt that God is moving in Northside of Richmond, VA, and it’s so exciting to hear and see what He is doing! You are invited to a Gathering of Northside Saints to….
1 – Fellowship – get to know one another 2 – Learn – to hear what the Lord is doing in our community 3 – Share – to encourage one another 4 – Pray – to lift up the needs of our community and to glorify and worship the Lord.We hope to see you….
Sunday, September 26th at 3pm
All Souls Presbyterian Church 19 Overbrook Road Richmond, VA 23222 (enter on the Miller Avenue side entrance)We would appreciate an RSVP to missmartishouse[at]me[dot]com by 9/25, so we can be prepared with a headcount. Please be sure to include the following information…
- Names attending
- Contact information like – email addresses/phone numbers
- Willingness to volunteer
In the meantime, be praying for our community and our gathering. In addition, be sure to invite other Northside Saints to attend!
May the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you!
Blessings, Marti
Marti Williams www.missmartishouse.com loving God and others in Southern Barton Heights; Richmond, VA
HUGE Success – North Avenue Community Day
Posted: Saturday, September 25, 2010 Filed under: 2k10, Community Announcements | Tags: community, Goal Post Restaurant, missional, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights, Southern Barton Heights Community Association, unity, Urban Comments Off on HUGE Success – North Avenue Community DayIt’s a good day in the Northside of Richmond, VA. And it’s not too late to attend! The North Avenue Community Day is off to a great start on this HOT HOT HOT fall day. Louis, Wesley, and I went out to “flyer” the community this morning and met some friends along the way – 2 who decided to lend us a helping hand! Thanks to Ziyah and Amani!!!
We started off with prayer, welcome speeches, praise dancing, face painting, free snow cones (they totally rocked this blazin’ day!), free clothes, safety programs offered by the police, moon bounce for the kids, cool antique cars, etc.
If you are looking to be blessed by unity in the community, come on out! Today….12-8p. Thanks to ALL who helped make it a success, especially Ms. Dot from the Goal Post Restaurant and Diva Valerie! 🙂
North Avenue Community Day Saturday, 9.25 12noon -7p
Posted: Friday, September 24, 2010 Filed under: 2k10, Community Announcements | Tags: Block Party, community, Northside, Richmond, RVA, Southern Barton Heights, Urban Comments Off on North Avenue Community Day Saturday, 9.25 12noon -7pSOUTHERN BARTON HEIGHTS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:
Don’t forget, we need your help to set up in the morning and clean up in the evening. We will meet at the Goal Post at 10am to set up, and then be back at 7pm for clean-up.
As Ralph says… “There will be dancing in the streets!”
Hope you can join us!
It’s been a while…
Posted: Sunday, June 6, 2010 Filed under: 2k10, Louis and Me! | Tags: Birthday, community, Memorial Day, Oh Happy Day, seek ye first the kingdom, shooting, Southern Barton Heights Comments Off on It’s been a while…I know….I’ve been kinda absent for a while…let’s call it a full month!!! I have left stories hangin’! Sorry about that! No excuses…just life gettin’ in the way! Ouch…just realized that my last real post was early May. That is B*A*D! So…let me get you caught up on our present lives and all of our distractions, then in upcoming days…I’ll take you back and finish a story or 2.
A lot has been going on lately, here in SBH and at M2H. Interestingly enough, on May 4th, I shared in Oh Happy Day! about what a great day I was having…and how the Lord had spoke… “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” So…we get this clear message and we are feeling GOOD. Like we have our marching orders!
Then, WHAM! BLAM! ZING! out of nowhere….distractions hit. Why is it a surprise that we will be hit with distractions on the heels of a God moment?!?!? These distractions took the form of relational conflicts (yes, more than one….all at the same time!!!) where Louis was used as a sounding board and a peacemaker of sorts. In addition, a dear friend in Northern Virginia passed away. Louis gets sick as a dog. Poor thing was wiped out by a upper respiratory infection. Lastly, there has been a bit of conflict in our community lately…for which we are seeking prayers.
I won’t go into a lot of detail to protect confidences, but we have an AWESOME community!!! The residents of Southern Barton Heights are among the BEST ever! I have a sense of pride and joy when I look around and think about the many, many friends (dare I say family!!) that I have made…and the cohesive community that has formed and is forming even as we speak. I have lived here but a short 5 years….and Louis for a 1.5 years…and we know most of our neighbors up and down Barton and Lamb Avenues around our home. And…we continue to meet more! Louis and I have lived in a number of communities over the years and have experienced NOTHING like the sense of community that we feel here. I know more of my neighbors now than in all the other communities combined! I wouldn’t change it for the WORLD!
Although we may differ in our experiences, our opinions and our thoughts, for the most part, we respect one other. Now, there are some whose thoughts and actions differ GREATLY from where the overall community wants to continue to head and are NOT respecting others and are spreading fear, hate and distrust. But, we will continue to partner together and with the authorities to minimize these criminal and unlawful activities that we see and experience.
In addition, as reported on the news there was a multiple shooting just a block away, where 2 guys got shot at 4:30p on Friday, 5.28. Yes…that is 4:30 in the afternoon….when the kids are playing and riding their bikes. When people are coming home from work ready to start their weekend. When people are walking to the deli for something cold to drink. Thankfully, the 2 victims will survive! And…an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, life moves on….the school year comes to an end. The H*O*T summer seems to have come early. The Stonehouse Pool in Battery Park is now open and a Memorial Day/Birthday cookout starts us out right. Pics and vids to come in the next post…
Miss Marti's House 
