When the Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill joined St. John the Divine in 2021, he shared a vision of the church being A Light for the City and How our Light will Shine — in which SJD would seek ways the church could engage to make an impact in our city.
Starting in 2021, building on its history of generous outreach, St. John the Divine launched a major initiative called the Community Engagement Project to discern how the church could meaningfully enhance its impact through significant community engagement. Volunteers formed three teams to study disparate outcomes in the areas of education, employment, and housing. After months of research and reflection, the Community Engagement Project teams aligned on a shared focus: improving outcomes in our city for early childhood development, for school-aged youth, and for young adults aging out of foster care.
Continuing in 2022, these three core focuses were continually ignited by the passion of lay-leaders seeking to improve the short-term and long-term outcomes of Houston’s youth. These efforts were developed and formed into the organization known today as A Lighted Path.
The purpose of A Lighted Path is to be the umbrella organization under which new and significant community engagement initiatives are launched—for our City and beyond. By reaching beyond the walls of St. John the Divine through A Lighted Path, we will increase awareness in our City of important unmet needs, and invite our neighbors to share, serve and bring new perspectives to this work. We trust in the Lord’s grace and provision to use all of us to bring His love to our City and His kingdom on earth.
At the end of 2023, A Lighted Path received its official 501c3 new nonprofit status, focused on implementing initiatives that will improve the short-term and long-term outcomes for the very young, for school-aged youth and for young adults disadvantaged by social and economic disparities.