McCreesh Place Mural

Every year, my church has an annual time of service called Covenant Impacts Charlotte (CIC). Over the course of a week or more, an intergenerational group of volunteers consisting of church staff and small groups take on projects all over the Queen City.

In 2023, our young adult group decided to create a mural at McCreesh Place for our CIC project. McCreesh Place, maintained and run by Supportive Housing Communities, is a beloved mission partner of the Covenant young adult group. We were stoked to take on this project, and so were the neighbors living at McCreesh!

I volunteered to take on the design and lead the execution of the mural, which turned out to be one of my favorite creative projects I’ve ever done.

The Design

The design process was pretty simple. I went on the SHC website and pulled the phrase “love your neighbor” from a t-shirt they have in their merch store. The mural was painted on a shed that houses supplies for the McCreesh Place garden, hence the choice to add bugs and flowers.

Part of me worried I didn’t put enough thought into this design; it couldn’t be that easy. But if I wasn’t confident in the design before the mural completion, I sure was after. McCreesh Place is on a popular running/walking trail with many local businesses nearby. We had countless community members stop and watch us as we worked, sharing what the message “love your neighbor” means to them and expressing their excitement to have the mural around.

Sometimes the simplest message, coming from the right place, is more than enough.

Three people paint a mural on a bright blue wall. The words "love your neighbor" are displayed in large letters, surrounded by bees, ladybugs, and butterflies.

Three people are painting a mural on a blue wall. The mural features the words "love your neighbor" surrounded by butterflies, bees, and ladybugs.

Four people stand outside near a small shed, holding paintbrushes and paint cans.

A mural on a blue wooden shed shows the words "love your neighbor" surrounded by illustrations of flowers, bees, ladybugs, and pink butterflies.

A group of people posing in front of a blue mural with colorful butterflies and the words “love your neighbor.”

The Process

I called on my fellow young adults in our congregation to execute this project, and we completed the mural over just one weekend. I drew the process from previous painting experience: base coat, trace, and paint. The design was purposely simple, with large sections, clean lines, and few details. This enabled everyone, even our painters who weren’t experienced, to take part in the project.

I gained a lot of practice delegating tasks and communicating my vision to my collaborators. As with every project, problems arose and adjustments had to be made. I was incredibly lucky to be working alongside friends who were there to help every step of the way.

It’s always nice to take a step back from corporate projects and tackle a community project. There’s something special about getting a group of people together who aren’t experts and aren’t getting paid to be there. They just want to hang out and put some paint on a wall to express their love for their community.

Three people stand in front of a banner that reads "Supportive Housing Communities." Katie Shivers stands in the middle holding a rectangular award, smiling.

Community Neighbor of the Year 2024

Covenant Presbyterian Church was named Community Neighbor of the Year for 2024 by Supportive Housing Communities. Our young adult congregation’s mural project was cited as an important factor in deciding to bestow the honor. I couldn’t be more proud!