St. Luke’s UMC Gethsemane The Garden

Gulfton and Sharpstown are two of the most diverse neighborhoods in Houston. However, due to years of disinvestment, this largely immigrant neighborhood has become an area of concentrated poverty. Ever since St. Luke’s merged with Gethsemane UMC in 2009, the Church has made it their mission to be an epicenter of hope. The new 54,335-SF The Garden Community Center on the Gethsemane Campus provides operating spaces for partnerships and programs and a safe, secure space where children can gather and foster a stronger community. The Center houses Legacy Health Care, a client-centered health services clinic; Houston reVision, a ministry dedicated to breaking the cycle of isolation for at-risk youth; the PX Project, a workforce development program; Connect Community, a social services networking organization; and a commercial kitchen and cafe, that is open to the public. The main focus [of The Garden] is on providing youth with a “safe third space outside of home and school,” said Ryan Villareal, The Garden’s executive director.