“What about the mural? Can it be saved?” This was the first question many asked after hearing the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub space had been flooded. The mural is an ironic picture these days. Giant children straddle the Cedar River and stand on top of downtown Cedar Rapids building bridges. The painting was meant to symbolize the dreams of the Ministry Hub, reminding us how children can help effortlessly overcome barriers. It was meant to be a hopeful sign of the future.
On June 13, the Ministry Hub and the mural were engulfed by water. Trinity United Methodist Church's main building, where the Ministry Hub was located, may have been damaged beyond repair. The hard work of a recent remodeling project and nearly all the Ministry Hub equipment were destroyed. “What about the mural,” was the question on top of everyone's mind.
The week after the flood, Rev. Clint Twedt-Ball walked into the muck and darkness of the Ministry Hub space. As in other flooded basements, the stench and destruction were overwhelming. The piano had floated from one end of the building to the other. The kitchen was destroyed. Paint was coming off the walls and ceilings in sheets. And the mural, it looked dirty, moldy and bubbly, ready to peel off the wall.
Later in the week, Muralist Eleanor Yates called. She was in Philadelphia working on a mural. Early the next week she would be traveling through Cedar Rapids to Fairfield, IA to work on a huge mural. She wanted to stop by and see the what had happened to her “Bridges” mural in Cedar Rapids. Clint told her the mural was destroyed, but she was insistent in wanting to see it.
Wednesday morning, June 25, the petite Eleanor borrowed a pair of size ten, men's wading boots and tromped into the muck of the Ministry Hub. Like a surgeon, she carefully cut around the edges of the mural, peeled it off the wall and rolled it up. Her first stop was at a car wash, where she thoroughly washed the pieces of the mural and laid them in the sun to dry. Like the city of Cedar Rapids, the mural waits, ready to be rebuilt.
Eleanor has collaborated with the Ministry Hub on another mural. “You Are a Gift” graces the wall of Taylor Elementary School, which took on three feet of water during the flood. In “You Are a Gift,” twenty-four children from the Taylor Neighborhood use their imaginations to create the world as they wish it to be. The hope of the Ministry Hub, Eleanor Yates and the people of Cedar Rapids is that the the “new” Cedar Rapids will be an even better city for these children than the “old” Cedar Rapids. If this flood is used as an opportunity to build bridges of opportunity for at-risk youth in our community, that hope may become a reality.
In an effort to make this hope real, the Ministry Hub is selling t-shirts with a picture of the mural on it that say, “Building Bridges and Loving Our Neighbors As Ourselves.” The t-shirts cost $30, can be ordered from www.hub25.org, and one-hundred percent of the money raised will go to help children impacted by the flood.
On June 13, the Ministry Hub and the mural were engulfed by water. Trinity United Methodist Church's main building, where the Ministry Hub was located, may have been damaged beyond repair. The hard work of a recent remodeling project and nearly all the Ministry Hub equipment were destroyed. “What about the mural,” was the question on top of everyone's mind.
The week after the flood, Rev. Clint Twedt-Ball walked into the muck and darkness of the Ministry Hub space. As in other flooded basements, the stench and destruction were overwhelming. The piano had floated from one end of the building to the other. The kitchen was destroyed. Paint was coming off the walls and ceilings in sheets. And the mural, it looked dirty, moldy and bubbly, ready to peel off the wall.
Later in the week, Muralist Eleanor Yates called. She was in Philadelphia working on a mural. Early the next week she would be traveling through Cedar Rapids to Fairfield, IA to work on a huge mural. She wanted to stop by and see the what had happened to her “Bridges” mural in Cedar Rapids. Clint told her the mural was destroyed, but she was insistent in wanting to see it.
Wednesday morning, June 25, the petite Eleanor borrowed a pair of size ten, men's wading boots and tromped into the muck of the Ministry Hub. Like a surgeon, she carefully cut around the edges of the mural, peeled it off the wall and rolled it up. Her first stop was at a car wash, where she thoroughly washed the pieces of the mural and laid them in the sun to dry. Like the city of Cedar Rapids, the mural waits, ready to be rebuilt.
Eleanor has collaborated with the Ministry Hub on another mural. “You Are a Gift” graces the wall of Taylor Elementary School, which took on three feet of water during the flood. In “You Are a Gift,” twenty-four children from the Taylor Neighborhood use their imaginations to create the world as they wish it to be. The hope of the Ministry Hub, Eleanor Yates and the people of Cedar Rapids is that the the “new” Cedar Rapids will be an even better city for these children than the “old” Cedar Rapids. If this flood is used as an opportunity to build bridges of opportunity for at-risk youth in our community, that hope may become a reality.
In an effort to make this hope real, the Ministry Hub is selling t-shirts with a picture of the mural on it that say, “Building Bridges and Loving Our Neighbors As Ourselves.” The t-shirts cost $30, can be ordered from www.hub25.org, and one-hundred percent of the money raised will go to help children impacted by the flood.
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